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LETTERS 



FROM 



CANADA, 






WRITTEN 

DURING A RESIDENCE THERE IN THE YEARS 

1806, 1807, and 1808; 

SHEWING 

THE PRESENT STATE OF CANADA, 

ITS PRODUCTIONS — TRADE — COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE 
AND POLITICAL RELATIONS. 

ILLUSTRATIVE OF 

The Laws, the Manners of the People, and the Peculiarities 
of the Country and Climate. 

EXHIBITING ALSO 

THE COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE OF 

NOVA-SCOTIA, NEW BRUNSWICK, $ CAPE-BRETON: 

AND 

Their increasing Ability, in Conjunction with Canada, to furnish the 
necessary Supplies of Lumber and Provisions to our 

WEST-INDIA ISLANDS. 



BY HUGH GRAY. fCon», 

18G7 

LONDON:% ofv/ ^^ 

PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, RELS, AND OR W.F., 
PATERNOSTER-ROW. 



1809. 



^ 



y L 






T. Davison, Whitefriars. 






PREFACE. 



The Author of these letters, from the na- 
ture of his pursuits in Canada, was led to 
direct his attention, in a particular man- 
ner, to the laws and the commerce of the 
country. In the investigation of its laws, 
ancient and modern, he became acquainted 
with the nature of the government ; and in 
the views he took of its commerce, — the 
productions of the country, its commercial 
regulations, and political connexions in 
their different bearings, presented them- 
selves to his consideration. Many import- 
ant facts, and valuable commercial docu- 
ments and calculations, relative to these 
interesting countries, were gradually col- 
lected and arranged. 

During his residence in Canada, and 
while travelling through it, the manners 



FREFACE. 

and customs of the different classes of so- 
ciety did not pass unnoticed ; and the na- 
tural beauties of the country, which are 
every where conspicuous, were not regarded 
with indifference. 

In Canada, nature presents itself in 
grand and imposing forms. To see, to 
feel, and to admire, necessarily follow each 
other. The peculiarities of the country, 
and of the climate, are striking; and the 
phenomena incident to the Canadian win- 
ter are extremely curious. These were in- 
vestigated with all the attention they 
seemed to deserve. 

On his return to England, he found 
that the state of our political relations with 
the United States of America, and the 
northern powers of Europe, was still such 
as to render all communication with them 
extremely precarious ; any country, there- 
fore, which could give us the articles we 
had been in the habit of receiving from 
them, became doubly interesting. Such 
is Canada, and such are our other North 
American colonies. To point out the va- 



PREFACE. 

lue of the latter more forcibly, there are 
added in the Appendix the petitions and 
memorials from Nova Scotia and New 
Brunswick to the British government, in 
which the productions and resources of 
those countries are stated, and the line of 
policy pointed out, which they imagine 
most likely to promote their welfare. 

The immense regions in North Ame- 
rica, which still form a part of the British 
empire, are very little known to the Eng- 
lish nation ; and yet the statesman, the 
philosopher, and the merchant, might 
there find an ample field for the exercise 
of his talents. The geographical position 
of our North American colonies, relative to 
the United States ; their immense extent 
of territory, and their commercial import- 
ance, ought to induce us (particularly at 
the present moment) to turn our attention 
that way. To effect this end, is, in a great 
measure, the object of the present publi- 
cation. 



c' 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER I. 

Page 

INTRODUCTORY— at sea 1 

LETTER II, 

Make Cape Breton — islands of ice — their origin and 
magnitude — Banks of Newfoundland — gulf stream 
— cause of the hazy weather generally found on 
the Banks of Newfoundland — Bankers - 9 

LETTER III. 
Gulf of St. Lawrence — Cape Breton — a short ac- 
count of it — Magdalene islands — Island of Anti- 
costi — -Mouth of the St. Lawrence — country on 
each side of the river — mountains — principles for' 
ascertaining tjieir height — Labrador shore — Seven 
Islands— King's posts — a battle between a whale, 
a thresher, and a sword rish - - 18 

LETTER IV. 

Discovery of Canada, by Jaques Carrier — burning 
woods — visited by Indians — Islands of Bique, Ka- 
mouraska, &c. — the Traverse — Island of Orleans 



CONTENTS. 

Page 
— *Bason of Quebec, and surrounding scenery — 
arrive at Quebec - • - - 31 

LETTER V. 
The river St. Lawrence a fine approach to America 
—why — observations on theoriginal colonization of 
Canada — intrusted by the French king to private 
individuals — original discovery of Quebec — taken 
by the English in 1629, restored 1632 - 41 

LETTER VI. 

Samuel de Champlain founder of Quebec — advan- 
tages of its situation — Cape Diamond — Site of 
Quebec — Upper and Lower Town described — be- 
sieged by the Americans in 1775 — death of Mont- 
gomery — present population of Quebec — objects 
of curiosity — arsenals — nunneries — -Roman catho- 
lic and protestant clergy— how supported — tythes 
— fortifications of Quebec — Plains of Abraham — 
death of Wolfe — views of the surrounding cqun- 
try — Cape Diamond — why so named - 47 

LETTER VII. 
River St. Lawrence— extent of the ship navigation 
— its communication with the interior- — situation 
of Quebec renders it the key of the St. Law- 
rence - - ' - - • - 69 

LETTER VIII. 

The policy of our government in the affairs and 
management of Canada — how far advisable in 
giving Canada a British constitution — Canadian 
legislators — their want of education and political 



CONTENTS. 

Page 
knowledge—- division of Canada into two pro- 
vinces — -very impolitic — their union easy - 75 

LETTER IX. 

Falls on the River Chaudiere — travelling in the 
woods very difficult — not so to the Indians and 
voyageurs — why — delirium the effect of being lost 
in the woods — illustrated by examples— River 
Chaudiere — description of the Fall — the Fall of 
Montmorency - — description thereof — comparison 
between the Montmorency and Chaudiere - 87 

LETTER X. 
Influence of the Canadians in the legislature — 
French language used in the House of Assembly — 
' Le Canadien, a French newspaper — observations 
upon the conduct of the managers thereof — the 
effects of conquest — Canadians, by the articles of 
capitulation, not granted their old laws — proved by 
a review of the articles of capitulation — bad effects 
of an improper administration of justice, illus- 
trated by examples — in Canada, no bankrupt laws 
■ — consequences thereof - - 100 

LETTER XI. 

Travelling in Canada — the caleshes — the auberges — 
Canadian politeness conspicuous — manners of the 
people — appearance of the country — road from 
Ouebec to Montreal — the seigneuries and conces- 
sions — rivers which fall into the St. Lawrence — 
Canadian farming — St. John's fort — Lake Cham- 
plain — Canadian farmers-— in general poor — cause 



CONTENTS. 

Page 
of their poverty — the law making marriage a co- 
partnership, and creating a commwiite de bien 124 

LETTER XII. 

Montreal— situation — Island of Montreal — surround- 
ing country — Lake St. Peter's — markets of Mon- 
treal well supplied— La Chine — arrival and de- 
parture of the North-west canoes — the canoe de^ 
scribed — the North-West Company — their origin 
—Canadian voyageurs— Upper Canada trade from 
Montreal — bateaux — Indians of different nations 
— remarks on them -• - - - 144 

LETTER XIII. 

Population of Canada — Upper and Lower Canada 
— reasons for a greater increase of population in 
Upper than in Lower Canada— Upper Canada pre- 
ferred by emigrants — why — general idea of the 
trade of Canada — statement of exports on an aver- 
age of five years — presents to the Indians — how 
far advisable that they should be ^continued 1 64 

LETTER XIV. 

Canadian trade with the United States — statement 
of imports from America, by way of St. John's, 
in 1806 — exports by way-of St. John's — balance of 
trade against Canada — paid in specie— business of 
exchange considered — currency of Canada — go- 
vernment bills — treaty with America — advantages 
not reciprocal — American trade with India — its 
effects on the trade of Canada with Britain disad- 
vantageous - - - - 179 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

LETTER XV. 

Productions and exports of Canada to Great Britain 
and elsewhere considered — wheat — flour — a scow 
described — biscuit — pease — barley — oats and In- 
dian corn — hops — hemp — tythes to the clergy — 
lumber trade — pine — oak — maple — elm — ash — 
cedar, &c. — staves — rafts of wood — ships annu- 
ally built in Canada — pot and pearl ashes — fish- 
eries of the St. Lawrence — the fur trade — iron 
forges of Canada — manufactures of soap and can- 
dles, leather, hats, and snuff — maple sugar — infe- 
rior district of Gaspe — its trade and population — 
character of the merchants of Canada - 197 

LETTER XVI. 

The supplies required by our West India colonies — 
to what extent furnished by our North American 
colonies — policy of the Americans in regard to 
their fisheries— average importation of provisions 
and lumber into the West India islands for three 
years, ending 1806 — North American colonies 
claim the exclusive right of supplying the West 
India islands — their reasoning in support of such 
claim - - - - 231 

LETTER XVII. 

The Canadian winter — commences in November, 
when snow begins to fall — a snow storm — the 
country deserted by the winged creation — quadru- 
peds disappear — winter dress — the cariole, the 
winter carriage used by all descriptions of people 
—the navigation of the St. Lawrence closes — win- 



CONTENTS. 



Page 



ter customs and amusements— people not so liable 
to suffer from cold in Canada as in England — ac- 
counted for — winter air extremely dry — its effects 
resemble those of the Siroc wind — greatest degree 
of cold, and medium temperature, of December 
and January — winter roads — how formed — a pont 
— the St. Lawrence freezing over, opposite to 
Quebec — the winter method of passing the St. 
Lawrence in canoes - 24% 

LETTER XVIII. 
Winter travelling- — in carioles — on snow shoes — the 
military taught to walk on snow shoes — winter 
travelling very expeditious — the Canadian horse— 
a winter tour through Canada — summer and win- 
ter scenery contrasted — river du Loup — Maski- 
nonge — Berthier — occupations of the natives dur- 
ing winter — winter fishing — petite morue — horses 
eat fish — re-animation of the fish after being out 
of the water for several days — arrive at Montreal — 
pic nic parties — hospitable reception of strangers 
in Canada — journey from Montreal into the 
United States, by way of Lake Champlain, over 
the ice— American sleighs — Laprairie — thence to 
Lake Champlain through the woods — a military 
pass — an American pitch — their method of clear- 
ing a piece of ground — extent of Lake Cham- 
plain — travelling on the lake very dangerous* — 
horses and sleigh often fall through the ice — horses 
saved— curious method of doing so — weak places 
in the ice — cause thereof — cracks and openings in 
the ice — danger in passing them - - 260 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

LETTER XIX. 

Range of the thermometer in Canada — advantages 
derived from the frost — meat, fowls, and fish, pre- 
served by being frozen — manner of doing so — price 
of provisions in winter — fire wood — coals — extra- 
ordinary effects of cold — burning by a cold iron — 
exemplified and explained — frost-bitten frequent 
in Canada — the remedy — the difference in the 
manner in which a cold iron, and a cold atmosphere 
affect the body - ~ - - 282 



LETTER XX. 
A sudden change from extreme cold to warm wea- 
ther frequent in the middle of winter — its effects 
— the ver glas — facts to shew the intensity of the 
cold — stoves generally used in Canada in winter 
— their advantages — experiments on the expan- 
sive force of freezing water in bomb-shells — the 
effects of frost on water confined in the fissures 
of rocks, in the walls of houses, &c. — Canadians 
use dogs in drawing light weights - - 299 



LETTER XXI. 

Conclusion of the Canadian winter — breaking up of 
the ice — accoimt of a vessel arriving while the ri- 
ver was full of ice — state of the ice in the spring 
- — vegetation under the snow — return ,of the fea- 
thered tribes — the land not so deeply penetrated 
by the frost as might be imagined-— the causes 



CONTENTS. 

Page 

thereof — the long continuance of winter may re- 
tard the improvement of Canada, but not pre- 
vent it — comparison between Russia and Canada 
— and between the Neva and the St. Lawrence — 
effect of winter on the habits of the people 312 



LETTER XXII. 

The constitution of Canada — the legislative council 
—the house of assembly — observations on the pro- 
priety of having given to Canada a representative 
form of government — complaints of the Canadians 
— unfounded—civil list of Canada — disposition of 
the mass of the people - 322 



LETTER XXIII. 

The English language not the language of Canada — 
English schools — opposed by the Canadians — go- 
vernment have not exerted themselves to intro- 
duce English — inducements for the Canadians to 
prefer English to French-^English the most uni- 
versal of all languages — Canadian militia - 335 

LETTER XXIV. 

Canadian tenures — en fief- — en roture — the seigneu- 
ries — grants or concessions of land— townships 
held in free and common soccage — grantees bound 
to have a certain number of settlers on their lands 
in a given time — the boundaries of Canada — ex- 
tract from the definitive treaty of peace with Ame- 
rica — situation of the river St. Croix— Bay of Pas- 



CONTENTS. 

Page 
samaquoddy — sovereignty of the islands therein 
disputed — river Ponobscot — route from Nova 
Scotia to Quebec — in the grants of townships the 
crown makes certain reserves — roads leading from 
Canada to the United States — numbers of Ame- 
ricans settled on the townships — reflections there- 
on — policy of the mother country in her manage- 
ment of colonies - -' -, ..* 346 



APPENDIX. 

No. Page 

I. DUTIES payable in Canada on goods im- 
ported - - - - -371 

II. Allowances at the Custom-house - - 373 

III. Post-office regulations - 374 

I V. Roads and distances in Canada - - 375 

V. List of governors of Canada - - 377 

VI. List of the counties — number of representa- 
tives — and of parishes - * - 378 

VII. Account of provisions and lumber imported 
into the West Indies in the years 1804, 1805, 
and 1806. 

VIII. Account of the value of exports from Eng- 
land to America and the West Indies, exclusive 

of the United States, in 1806, 1807, and 1808 . 379 



CONTENTS. 

No. Page 

IX. Account of the value of imports and exports 
between Great Britain and the United States of 
America in 1806, 1807, and 1808 - - 380 

X. Exports from Quebec in 1808 - - 382 

XI. Memorial and petition of the merchants, and 
other inhabitants of New Brunswick, to the Se- 
cretary of State - - - 385 

XII. Petition of the merchants, and other inha- 
bitants of Halifax, to the Secretary of State ; 

and memorial referred to therein - - 389 

XIII. Address respecting the islands in Passama- 
quoddy Bay _ -. - _ 40Q 

XIV. Declaration as to the boundaries of the river 

St. Croix - 40a 



LETTERS 



FROM 



CANADA. 



LETTER I. 



At Sea, May, 1806. 

I promised to write you, my worthy 
friend, on my arrival in Canada ; I will do 
more; I will write you before I get there. 
You may perhaps say, What can be found 
worthy of notice on the face of the trackless 
ocean ? Not so much, I grant you, as in the 
cultivated vale, or crowded city. But on 
the ocean even, we meet with occurrences 
which highly excite our curiosity, and, merit 
our attention. Our approach to the Ame- 
rican shore ; our crossing the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence ; our progress up that noble ritf er ; 

B 



9 



cannot fail to furnish objects well deserv- 
ing remark. 

The promise I have made you, to com- 
municate whatever is new and interesting, 
will act as a stimulus to observation, and 
keep my attention on the alert. Canada is 
a most important country to Great Britain. 
It claims our attention from its geographi- 
cal position relative to the United States ; 
from its extent of territory ; from its numer- 
ous productions ; and from its rising value 
as a British colony. Few subjects are likely 
to be more interesting than the topographi- 
cal description of a country so little known 
to us, presenting every where features pe- 
culiar and striking, and phenomena well 
deserving the attention of any one the least 
acquainted with natural history. \t is very 
interesting also to trace the character of a 
people up to its origin, in the nature of the 
government and laws ; the state of the ad- 
ministration of justice; and the peculiari- 
ties of their local situation, and of their 
climate ; from all which, nations receive a 
bias in their manners, customs, and pur- 
suits. It shall be my endeavour, during 
my residence in Canada, to elucidate these 



3 

points, and make myself acquainted with 
its trade and political economy. 

I am well aware, that to perform this 
task with propriety requires talents very 
superior to any thing of which I can boast: 
but men who are every way qualified will 
not be found ready to undertake it The 
field is not sufficiently productive of either 
fame or fortune ; I look for neither in ad- 
dressing you, and if I encroach upon the 
province of an abler pen, I trust I shall be 
forgiven. Information, in a rude dress, is 
better than none at all; and here, on the 
great Atlantic Ocean, I shall attempt to 
embody in phrase the fleeting thought. A 
smooth sea and fine weather enable me 
to commence our correspondence. 

The weather hitherto has been pretty 
favourable, not however without some va- 
riety. Indeed, the wind has been some- 
times extremely violent, at least what > 
landsman would call so: on these occa- 
sions, the proper place for us landlubbers is 
our cabin ; we should turn in, as the sailors 
call it. You may, no doubt, go to bed, 
but you cannot say you go to rest, for you 
are incessantly rocked about in the most 



unpleasant manner, from the rolling and 
pitching of the vessel. Besides, the abo- 
minably jarring discordant sounds with 
which one is constantly annoyed on board 
ship, are intolerable, particularly in the 
middle of the night, when all is dark 
around you, and sleep is wished for in 
vain. A heavy swell heaves and strains 
the ship ; the waves dashing and roaring 
under the cabin-windows; the ropes and 
sails flapping and rattling overhead ; the 
timbers and bulkheads creaking, cracking, 
and growling ; form altogether such a 
pretty kind of concert, as one might expect 
to find in the palace of Pandemonium. 

A gale came on a few daj r s ago: I could 
neither sit nor stand without great exer- 
tion ; but curiosity kept me on deck. The 
waves ran tremendously high, and the ship 
seemed ready to be swallowed up. One 
moment you are elevated, and mount the 
briny swell ; you are then sunk down, im- 
mersed in the deep, shut up, as it were, 
by the foaming surge, which seems to pre- 
sent on all sides an insuperable barrier. 

A sudden squall laid the ship almost on 
her beam-ends ; ahead sea struck her while 



5 

gunwale under, and made a clear sweep 
fore and aft ; to hold fast is, in this case, 
your only chance of safety. The ship at 
length righted, and we saw the seamen at 
the prow, emerging, as it were, from the 
wave, reeling from side to side, making 
fast every thing they could, and putting 
themselves in situations that a landsman 
shudders even to look at. The waves were 
running, what those who delight in hyper- 
bolical description would call, mountains 
high. In fact, we were so deeply immersed 
sometimes, and the waves were rolling so 
high around us, that we could not see the 
toy-gallant royals of a frigate that happen- 
ed to be within a few hundred yards of us, 
so that at any rate we must have had a 
very pretty specimen of a storm of the first 
magnitude. 

By and by the gale ceases ; your appre- 
hensions of danger subside ; and reflection 
on the past scene satisfies you that it is, 
in the nature of things, very improbable 
that a ship should sink. Her whole ma- 
terials are buoyant ; and her form is such, 
that while the water is prevented from dis- 



6 

placing the air contained in her, she can 
no more sink than can a bladder filled with 
air, or an empty cask. Such reflections, 
and a conviction that your vessel is strong 
and good, prepare you for the next gale. 
Confidence grows fast upon you, and you 
cease to be surprised that seamen, who 
know these things, and who have escaped 
so many storms, should become callous, in 
a great measure, to the dangers of the sea. 

There is certainly something very sub- 
lime in a storm; the scene is awfully grand. 
Fear has generally been considered as a 
source of the sublime ; and in the case of a 
storm, I cannot help thinking that it al- 
ways exists. I cannot imagine, notwith- 
standing all I have heard seamen say, that 
they, or any one else, can, in a storm, be 
entirely divested of it. Whatever confi- 
dence they have in their vessel, they must 
know that they are liable to a variety of ac- 
cidents, which will greatly increase their 
risk and danger. 

The being accustomed to any particu* 
lar danger lessens its operation on the mind ; 
but the danger is not removed, nor is its 



nature altered. A manufacturer of gun- 
powder, for instance, works with as much 
unconcern as if he manufactured leather; 
yet we see instances every year of powder- 
mills being blown up, and every one near 
them destroyed. A brave fellow of a sea- 
man, by being engaged in a number of 
boarding parties, without receiving the 
least injury, may go on such enterprises 
cheerfully, and with little or no fear; yet 
it does not follow that a man, scrambling 
up the side of a ship, full of people ready 
to defend themselves, does not run a great 
risk of having a pike put through his body, 
before he himself can act either offensively 
or defensively. 

The mind does not willingly dwell on 
that which gives it pain. It accommo- 
dates itself to its condition; hence sea- 
men, manufacturers of gun-powder, and 
all those engaged in hazardous occupa- 
tions, soon cease to reflect on the dangers 
to which they are exposed. 

We are now on the banks of Newfound- 
land, the region of codfish; and I am call- 
ed on deck. The ship is hove to for the 



8 

purpose of fishing : fresh cod for dinner 
-would be not a little acceptable; besides, I 
understand there is a good deal of amuse- 
ment in cod-fishing ; you shall know what 
success we have : en attendant, Adieu ! 



LETTER II. 

Off Cape Breton^ May, 1806. 

Liand-a-head ! Land ! Land ! repeated 
half a dozen voices. Joyful tidings ! I had 
just fixed myself in a position to secure 
me against the rolling of the ship, a very 
necessary precaution at, sea ; I liad a sheet 
of paper before me, for the purpose of 
saying something to you about the banks 
of Newfoundland and cod-fishing, when 
my ears were agreeably assailed with the 
joyful sound of Land-a-head ! I am very 
fond of music ; yet I can safely say, that 
the fine tones of a Catalani, which I have 
often heard with pleasure, or the modula- 
tion of a Braham, which is exquisite, are 
sounds vastly inferior in their power of 
pleasing to the shout of Land-a-head, after 
having been tossed and buffeted across the 
Atlantic Ocean. 

Here we are, on the 20th May, in sight 
of Cape Breton. As we left Portsmouth on 
the 14th of April, our being now in sight 



10 

of the New World is pretty fair. Five 
weeks at sea, however, is quite enough to 
give a high relish for a sight of land of any 
sort ; and you can hardly suppose a greater 
contrast than the land we have left — the 
green fields of England — and the barren 
mountains of the island of Cape Breton : 
yet we have great pleasure in looking at 
it. We have still a long voyage to perform. 
We have to cross the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
and go up the river, which may probably 
occupy a fortnight. 

For some days past the great increase 
of cold which we felt made us conjecture 
that we approached either snow-clad moun- 
tains, or islands of ice which are known to 
float in these latitudes at this season of the 
year. Those floating islands are of great 
height, some have been ascertained to rise 
upwards of two hundred feet from the sur- 
face of the sea; their breadth and depth 
in the water must, of course, have been 
immense. From the comparative speci- 
fic gravity of ice and water, the body of 
ice under water must have been rather 
more than T^ths of what appeared above 
water. These islands are supposed to be 



11 

formed on the coast of New Britain, and 
on the Labrador shore, during the severe 
winters which reign in those regions for 
about nine months in the year. The sea, 
in a gale of wind, dashed against a rock, 
will be thrown up to a great height, 
and be arrested, in part, by the severe 
frost; frequent accumulation will render 
the mass of great magnitude. When the 
summer heat begins to melt the snow, 
and act upon the land, these immense 
masses of ice are loosened from the shore, 
and floated off by the north-west winds. 
They are supposed to continue and float in 
the Northern Ocean for more than one year; 
and they, in part, owe their immense height 
to the snow and rain which fall upon them 
and freeze. When, in the course of time, 
they are floated into the more southern lati- 
tudes, the warm air, which comes in con- 
tact with them, is condensed, and parts 
with the moisture it held in solution, which 
appears in the form of mist, and with which 
these immense masses of ice are constantly 
surrounded and constantly fed ; for during 
the night the vapour is frozen, and adds to 
the height of the whole mass. 



12 

A vessel to leeward of one of these float- 
ing islands is surprised, sometimes before 
it is seen, with a suddea and unlooked for 
degree of cold ; and I am assured that it is 
extremely dangerous to approach them. 
There are many instances of Quebec ves- 
sels, and others, navigating those seas, 
having been w r recked on these islands of 
ice. The Lady Hobart, a Halifax packet, 
struck on one a few years ago, and was 
totally lost. The passengers and crew took 
to the boat, and, after being fourteen days 
at sea, were fortunate enough to reach the 
island of Newfoundland, but, as you may 
w T ell suppose, in a most exhausted state. 

Notwithstanding the danger, I must 
own I felt a strong desire to see one of 
those huge masses of ice ; but we were not 
so fortunate. The cold we felt proceeded 
from the snow-clad mountains of the island 
of Cape Breton. It presented to us a very 
barren and dreary prospect, very different, 
indeed, from the smiling land we had left. 
Yet a great degree of interest is excited by 
a view of even this part of the new world. 

In crossing the banks of Newfound- 
land we had very unpleasant, hazy, and 



13 

wet weather, which, I am told, is genera 
found on them. It is accounted for in this 
way : 

An immense bidy of water, called by 
seamen The Gulf Stream, flows from the 
Gulf of Mexico, and proceeds along the 
coast of America, at a considerable dis- 
tance from the shore. Its breadth is ge- 
nerally supposed to be about 15 to 20 
leagues. It runs at the rate of about four 
miles an hour, and it has been ascertained 
by the thermometer that it is considerably 
warmer than the ocean on each side of it. 
This heat is communicated to the air in con- 
tact with it, which therefore holds in solu- 
tion an increased quantity of water. When 
it gets so far to the north as the banks of 
Newfoundland, it meets with a eld at- 
mosphere, which cools and condenses the 
warm air, and renders it incapable of re- 
taining all the water it previously had dis- 
solved ; and a deposition of it, in the form 
of mist, fog, and rain, takes place in con- 
sequence. These increase to such an ex- 
tent as to obscure the sun for days, and 
sometimes weeks, to the great annoyance 
of the seaman, who is thereby prevented 



14 

from taking an observation to ascertain his 
latitude. 

We have been so fortunate as to have 
a favourable and pretty strong wind to 
carry us across the banks, so that, with the 
exception of one day, we bad no opportu- 
nity of fishing for cod. 

I was called on deck one day to look at 
a banker ; I immediately thought of Lom- 
bard-street : yet it seemed strange that 
those who have so many thousand reasons 
for staying at home, should find any to in- 
duce them to be on board ship, alongside 
of us, on the banks of Newfoundland. I 
found, however, that the banker is a small 
vessel stationed on the banks for the sole 
purpose of fishing. There are immense 
numbers of them. They come from New- 
foundland, and also from the United States; 
for we have given the Americans liberty to 
fish on the banks, and also on the coasts, 
bays, and creeks, of all our dominions in 
America. 

I doubt much how far it was wise policy 
in our government to allow the Americans 
to participate in this x trade. There might 
perhaps be less objection to it in time of 



15 

war, when our communication with the 
continent is so much abridged that we 
cannot supply their demands ourselves. 
But in time of peace we could certainly 
manage the whole of this trade ; and in 
time of war even, there seems no reason 
why we should not exclusively supply our 
West India market. I do not see how Bri- 
tish capital could be employed more advan- 
tageously to the country than in a trade 
which draws real wealth from the ocean, 
increases our shipping, and augments the 
number of our seamen. 

When one reflects on the great extent 
of the Banks of Newfoundland, being 
nearly four hundred miles in length, by 
about two hundred miles in breadth, be- 
sides the smaller banks and fishing grounds 
on the coast of Cape Breton, and round 
the shores and islands of the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence, there seems room enough for 
all the cod-fish catchers in the world ; and 
it may seem hard that any of them should 
be excluded. But as Great Britain has 
both the right and the power to monopolize 
this trade, I cannot see any impropriety in 
her doing so. The allowing the Americans 



16 

a share in this trade was an act of pure 
generosity on the part of Britain. How- 
ever, a nation ought to be just to its own 
subjects before it is generous to those of 
another country. 

For some days past we have seen a 
great number of enormous whales rolling 
their huge carcasses in the deep. It is 
curious enough to observe them when 
several appear near the vessel at the same 
time. They come to the surface to breathe, 
or blow, as it is generally called (and 
with great propriety, for the noise is equal 
to that of fifty bellows of the largest size), 
and the water is spouted to an immense 
height, like the steam of a fire engine. 

Amongst the extraordinary things one 
meets with at sea, it is not one of the least 
surprising to observe small land-birds several 
hundred miles from land. I was sitting on 
deck the other day, when, . to my great 
surprise, my attention was arrested by the 
.warbling of a bird. I looked up, and saw 
a linnet perched on the rigging, and whist- 
ling with as much ardour as if on a bush 
in a green meadow. It is probable they 
are driven to sea -in a gale of wind, or, 



17 
perhaps a fog may conceal the land from 
them, and by taking a wrong direction, 
they may proceed to sea ; still it is a matter 
not a little surprising that they should be 
able to continue on the wing so long as is 
necessary to fly several hundreds of miles, 
particularly when the usual shortness of 
their flight is considered. They continue 
sometimes with a vessel for several days, 
and are frequently caught by the sailors ; 
but it is remarked that they seldom live, 
though every care is taken to give them 
proper food. When the vessel rolls much, 
they find it difficult to retain their footing 
on the rigging, a#d you see them forced, 
as it were, to resume their flight in search 
of a better resting-place : poor little crea- 
tures! they look for it in vain. You at 
length see them drop into the sea. It is 
surprising what hold such little incidents 
take of our sensibilities. 

To-night we expect to enter the Gulf 
of St. Lawrence. I trust the weather may 
continue favourable, and the wind moder- 
ate, so as to enable me to write again be- 
fore we enter the river. In the mean time, 
I must go on deck, and take another view 
of Cape Breton. 



18 



LETTER III. 

Gulf of St. Lawrence, May, 1806. 

We are now in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
which we entered a few days ago. The 
entrance through which we passed is the 
principal one ; it is sixty miles broad, and 
is formed by Cape North, in the island of 
Cape Breton, on the south side, and by 
Cape Raiy, in Newfoundland, on the north 
side. There is another communication 
with the ocean, through the Streights of 
Belleisle, between Newfoundland and the 
Labrador shore, but it is seldom used, ex- 
cept by running vessels from Quebec, that 
are going to Scotland, or the north of 
England. The third communication with 
the ocean is by the Gut of Canso, through 
which, vessels coming from the West In- 
dies, or the United States of America, 
generally enter the Gulf. This passage, 
which is very narrow, separates Cape 
Breton from New Brunswick. 

The inland country of Cape Breton ap- 



19 
pears very mountainous, and they still 
(25th May) are covered with snow— -a chill- 
ing prospect. 

We acquired possession of Cape Breton 
in 1763, and erected it into a separate 
government in 1784. There is in this 
island, which is about a' hundred miles in 
length by sixty in breadth, much arable 
land, which at present abounds with hard- 
wood and pine timber. This country is of 
great value to Britain, for several reasons. 
As it commands the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
it may be considered as the key of Canada. 
There are in its neighbourhood very valu- 
able fisheries, which cannot well be carried 
on without a harbour in the island, and the 
harbour of Louisburgh is the principal one 
for that purpose. 

Great advantages are likely to accrue 
from the valuable coal-mines in Cape 
Breton. There is also abundance of iron. 
The working of the coal-mines, together 
with the fisheries, form the chief employ- 
ment of the inhabitants. Communication 
with the interior of the island is rendered 
easy by means of a number of lakes and in- 
lets from the sea, found in every direction. 



20 

The gulf is as smooth as a mill-pond. 
We glide along, almost without being sen- 
sible that we are on shipboard. We passed 
yesterday the Bird Rocks, so called from 
the great number of sea fowls which resort 
to them. These rocks are not very distant 
from the Magdalene Islands, to which they 
are considered to belong. The whole of the 
rocks and islands were lately granted by 
government to admiral Sir Isaac Coffin. 
The islands are valuable only as a fishing 
station. 

These islands are inhabited by the 
French who left Acadia (now Nova Scotia) 
after it was secured by France to Britain 
by the peace of 1763. I am told they are 
naturally a quiet, good sort of people. In- 
deed it is well they are so, for they have 
never been considered of sufficient conse- 
quence to give them either laws or a go- 
vernment. They carry on, however, a con- 
siderable trade in oil, seal-skins, cod-fish, 
&c. which they send to Europe, or to Que- 
bec, whence they receive in return the 
various articles they have occasion for, 
such as flour, liquors, clothing, &c. 

Sir Isaac has lately made an attempt to 



21' 

bring them under his authority as their 
lord and master. He has paid them a visit : 
how far he may succeed, time only can 
shew ; but I understand they would rather 
be left to themselves than be governed by 
any body. 

To the southward of our course lies 
Prince Edward's Island, near the coasts of 
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. It is a 
fine island ; the soil is rich, and fit for 
every sort of grain. It abounds with tim- 
ber of a variety of kinds, fit for the ship- 
builder, carpenter, and cabinet-maker. 

We are now in sight of the island of 
Anticosti, which lies at the mouth of the 
river St. Lawrence ; it is about one hun- 
dred and thirty miles in length, and about 
thirt} r in breadth. This extensive tract of 
country is not inhabited : the length and 
severity of its winters, and the sterility of 
its soil, have rendered abortive some at- 
tempts that have been made to settle on it ; 
and it will not probably be again attempted, 
while so much good terra jirma remains 
uncleared and unappropriated. At pre- 
sent the whole island might be purchased 
for a few hundred pounds. It belongs to 



some gentlemen in Quebec, and you might, 
for a very small sum, become one of the 
greatest landholders in the world, and a 
Canadian Seignor into the bargain. 

When you have passed the island of 
Anticosti, you may be said to be in the 
river St. Lawrence ; but from its great 
breadth (being about ninety miles), you 
still conceive yourself to be in the gulf. 
The channel between Anticosti and the 
main land on the south is about fifteen 
leagues. We have a fine favourable breeze, 
and in mid-channel we can see both coasts. 
The mountains appear to be of great 
height, and they are all covered with snow. 
They are probably a great way inland; for 
although we have been directing our course 
towards those on the south shore the whole 
day, there seems little or no change in 
their appearance as to size and height — a 
proof that both are very great. 

I am informed their elevation has never 
been accurately ascertained ; but, if any 
regard is to be had to appearances, I 
should suppose they are fully as high as the 
Pyrenees. The captain of our vessel ima- 
gines that we are at least a hundred miles 



23 ' 

from them. From this circumstance, a 
tolerably correct idea may be formed of 
their height. Sir Isaac Newton has given 
us principles by which an accurate esti- 
mate may be made of the height of an ob- 
ject if you know its distance, and of the 
distance of an object if you know its height. 

When two vessels approach each other 
at sea, the top-gallant sails are, at first, all 
that is seen ; the nearer they approach each 
other, the more they seem to rise out of the 
water. Seamen discover, from the square- 
ness of the yards, what sort of vessel it is ; 
they can judge pretty correctly what height 
of masts she should have, and, therefore, 
can nearly determine her distance ; a very 
important matter in time of war, and in 
case of being chased. 

If, according to your reckoning, you 
run ninety-six miles from the time you first 
see the top of a mountain until you come 
near it, you may calculate that mountain 
to be about a mile in height; and if you 
know the height of the mountain, you can 
ascertain your distance as soon as you see 
it. Increase the height, and the distance 
at which the object may be seen increases 



24 

in the following proportion : At the dis- 
tance of 4.18 miles, looking over a smooth 
surface, you can see the top of an object 10 
feet high; at 8.37 miles you can see the 
top of an object 40 feet high. In order 
that one object may be seen at double the 
distance of another, it must be four times 
higher. The Peak of Teneriffe is from 
thirteen to fourteen thousand feet high, so 
that it will be seen just appearing above 
the horizon at the distance of about 150 
miles. 

When people on the sea-shore talk of 
immensely extensive views on the boundless 
ocean, they are not aware, that these im- 
mensely extensive views, reach but a few 
miles, unless they are on a very elevated 
situation. 

On the south side of the river St. Law- 
rence, the province of Canada extends to 
the entrance of the river at Cape Rosier, 
where you have the district of GaspS, and 
a bay of that name a few leagues to the 
south of Cape Rosier. This part of Ca- 
nada is still inhabited by a few Indians. 

On the north side of the entrance of the 
river you have the Labrador coast, and the 



. 25 
islands of Mingan. Amongst these islands 
there is secure and good anchorage, and 
they present an excellent situation for a 
cod, seal, and salmon fishery; they are 
well adapted also for carrying on a trade 
with the Esquimaux Indians. 

Higher up the river you have The Bay 
of Seven Islands, a secure harbour for ships 
in any wind. In this neighbourhood are 
what are called The Kings Posts. The 
French king established settlements or 
posts here for fishing, and carrying on the 
fur trade with the Indians, who inhabit 
the country as far north as Hudson's Bay. 
The King's Posts belong to government, 
as successors to the rights of the French 
king. They are held in lease by the North- 
west Company, established in Montreal, 
who pay 1000/. per annum of rent, and 
they have the exclusive right of trading 
with the Indians of the Labrador country. 
Some of the finest furs come from these 
posts, particularly bears and foxes. 

We have proceeded up the river a con- 
siderable way, but it still looks like a sea. 
To-day I witnessed a very extraordinary 
scene ; a fierce battle, in consequence of 



26 

a whale being attacked by a thresher and 
a sword-fish. One would think that the 
immense size and strength of the whale 
would put him entirely out of danger, but 
size and strength must often yield to inge- 
nuity and stratagem ; no animal seems 
exempt from a violent death, not even the 
whale. Our Canadian pilot informed me 
that such conflicts were very common in 
the river St. Lawrence. The thresher 
(the Canadians call it un fleau) is from 
fifteen to twenty feet long; of the flatfish 
genus, resembling a sole, but rather longer 
in proportion ; the back, like that of the 
sole, is black; and the belly white. He is 
assisted in his attack on the whale by the 
sword-fish. It would seem that pure anti- 
pathy and mischief are alone the causes of 
this combination ; they have not the sti- 
mulus of hunger, as they do not eat the 
whale when dead. Fish are generally con- 
sidered to be extremely stupid animals ; 
but here you have a concerted plan, and 
an instance of ratiocination, approaching 
to that of the dog or fox. 

When the attack is to commence, the 
sword-fish gets under the whale, and darts 



27 
up at him with immense force*. The 
whale, feeling the stroke and attack of the 
sword-fish, flies to the top of the water, 
where the thresher attacks him. I saw 
the whale come up, raising his huge back 
high out of the water. The tail of the 
thresher was immediately seen brandished 
in the air, and most part of his body out of 
the water; flap after flap he struck the 
whale on the back as fast as I could with a 
stick, who, feeling the blows, darts down 
head foremost, raising his immense forked 
tail in the air, and striking with it on every 
side, apparently with a view of hitting the 
thresher, and if it did, instant death most 

* To shew the strength of the sword-nsh, it may be 
proper to observe, that the sword has been found stick- 
ing in the bottom of a ship. On the 1 6th September, 
1806, in Ayris ship-yard, in Kensington, near Phila- 
delphia, the ship Pensilvania packet was hove down, and 
it was found that she had been struck six feet below the 
bends by a sword-fish : the sword had pierced the copper 
sheathing, and bottom plank, to the ceiling inside ; the 
sword was broken short off outside ; it had been driven 
in with such force as to splinter the plank and cause a 
leak. It is supposed that the sword-fish mistakes the 
ship for a whale. I believe there is to be seen, in the 
British Museum, a part of the bottom of a ship, with 
the sword of the fish which pierced it sticking in it. 



28, 

probably would follow. The sword-fish 
again attacks him ; the whale rises again, 
and is again attacked by the thresher; 
he again descends, but attempts in vain 
to elude the attack of his enemies. I saw 
him several times raise his head out of the 
water, at the moment the thresher's tail 
was brandishing in the air, and striking 
him. He seemed to attempt to catch it 
in his mouth. 

The conflict continued in view about an 
hour. Sometimes they remained under 
water for a few minutes, but the whale 
must come to the surface of the water to 
breathe, or blow, as it is called; and be- 
sides, the attacks from the sword-fish, it is 
to be presumed, were incessant, and would 
naturally make him rise to the surface. It 
is probable they did not leave the whale 
till they had killed him. I understand, 
from the Canadians, that whales have 
been found killed by the sword-fish, who 
at the same time has fallen a sacrifice to 
his own furious attack, not having been 
able to draw the sword from its whale-belly 
scabbard. 

This latter circumstance, if true (for I 



have not myself seen it), is sufficient evi- 
dence to prove that the sword-fish assists 
the thresher in his attack on the whale, and 
I find that the Canadians all agree that 
the sword-fish has a share in the battle. 

It is impossible to conceive any thing 
more desperate than the conflict appeared 
to be. To see the tremendous animals in 
contact, part of both raised high out of 
the water at the same time ; the black back 
and immense head of the whale, contrast- 
ed with the long white and black tail of 
the thresher, in constant action, literally 
threshing the whale most unmercifully; 
every blow resounding like the noise of a 
cannon : feeling the blows, and galled on 
all sides by creatures he might well despise, 
he flounces about, blowing and making a 
tremendous noise ; dashing the water to a 
prodigious height, and occasioning a sort 
of local storm. 

V 

One would imagine that Job alluded 
to such battles when he describes the Le- 
viathan : — »** out of his nostrils goeth smoke ; 
he mccketh the deep to boil like a pot ; he 
maketh a path to shine after him ; one 
would think the deep to be hoary" 



30 

There was something extremely sub- 
lime in the whole scene : had a Milton be- 
held it, he certainly would have given it a 
place in his writings, clothed with all that 
fine imagery and lofty diction his wonder- 
ful genius could so well bestow. 

I perceive my letter is of great length : 
how can it be otherwise, in talking of the 
largest river, the largest animals, and 
amongst the largest mountains in the 
world ? Every thing around me is on the 
grand scale. Let us have a little respite, 
however. I dare say you think it is high 
time. 



31 



LETTER IV. 

River St. Lawrence, off Cape Chat, 
Thirty -eight leagues from Anticosti, May, 1806. 

We have been beating up against a con- 
trary wind since yesterday, and have, in 
tacking, had an opportunity of approach- 
ing both sides of this immense river. The 
appearance of the country is very different 
indeed from any thing you can see in 
Europe. The whole, to the very edge of 
the water, is one continued forest. The 
trees, however, appearing scraggy and 
dwarfish, present a most desert and me- 
lancholy aspect, without the least appear- 
ance of the country being the residence of 
human beings. 

Probably it looks pretty much the same 
now that it did to Jaques Cartier, when, 
in the year 1535, he sailed up the river St. 
Lawrence, and discovered Canada. The 
river had its name from his having entered 
it on St. Lawrence's day. The etymology 
of the word Canada, or why the country 



32 

received this name, are equally unknown. 
I have heard a definition, which is more 
whimsical, perhaps, than true. It is said 
that the Spaniards had visited the country 
before the French did; but finding it very 
barren, and without gold, the grand ob- 
ject of their pursuit, they frequently, on 
the eve of their departure, mentioned in 
the presence of the Indians, " aca ?iada" 
signifying, here is nothing. When the 
French visited the country, the Indians, in 
hopes of getting rid of them, and suppos- 
ing them Spaniards, repeated frequently 
aca nada> which the French, not under- 
standing, thought, might be the name of 
the country; hence they called it Canada. 
You may take this definition till you can 
find a better. 

To-day we have passed the isle of 
Bique, and we see some signs of an inha- 
bited country. The face of the heavens 
appears quite darkened with smoke, aris- 
ing from the burning of the woods, which 
is the method taken in this part of the 
world to clear and prepare the land for 
cultivation. We see the forest burning at 
a great distance, and in a variety of situ- 



33 

ations. One cannot help regretting this 
apparent waste of timber ; but the fact is, 
there is yet as much timber to be found in 
situations from which it can be easily 
transported to the river, as the market re- 
quires; besides, the greater part of the 
timber we see burning is of an inferior 
quality, and would not be worth the ex- 
pence of transportation. 

When the underwood is thick, which 
is generally the case where the trees are 
of an inferior size and quality, the blaze 
of the burning forest is awful. It con- 
tinues to burn for weeks together, and you 
see here and there, amongst the half con- 
sumed ordinary sized trees, the trunks of 
very large trees, scorched black to the very 
top. The fire lays waste every thing be- 
fore it for many miles beyond what those 
who first kindled it, intended, or could 
cultivate ; and you see a new forest grown 
up in many places, while the old charred 
trunks of lofty trees still remain nearly the 
same as when first burnt ; for it is the 
quality of charcoal to preserve what it 
surrounds from corruption. 

A few huts appear here and there on the 

d 



34 

shore. Their mutual wants and mutual de- 
fence induce the settlers to draw near each 
other. We have here the very rudiments 
of civil society. The inhabitants of these 
huts are Canadians ; they have few wants 
which their own industry and ingenuity 
cannot supply ; they are their own archi- 
tects, carpenters, shoemakers, and tay- 
lors ; and except for their hatchets, and a 
few simple tools, they are very little de- 
pendant on foreign assistance. 

We have received a visit from some 
Indians ; they came off to us in a birch 
canoe, on purpose to dispose of some fish 
they had caught. We took them on board* 
and as they were the first Indians I had 
ever seen, they excited my curiosit}' not a 
little. Poor, miserable looking creatures 
they certainly were ; feeble and diminu- 
tive in form, they gave us a very disad- 
vantageous idea of their countrymen. 
It is hardly fair, however, to judge of a 
people from the appearance of a few fisher- 
men ; at the same time, we ought to recol- 
lect that the Indians are all fishermen and 
hunters, and that therefore those we saw 
are more likely to be a fair sample of the 



35 

whole tribe, than the fishermen or hunters 
of a nation which employs the great ma- 
jority of its people in the arts of civil so- 
ciety, are to be considered as a sample of 
the people of such nation. 

We received from them all their fish ; 
they would not take money in return, but 
seemed highly pleased when we gave them 
in exchange, a bottle of brandy, and some 
salted pork. They got into their feeble 
bark, and paddled off, singing for joy.— 
Limited, indeed, are the wants of these 
poor creatures, when such a trifling cir- 
cumstance could gladden their hearts. 

As we proceeded farther up the river, 
the country assumed a more favourable 
aspect ; the number of habitations increas- 
ed, and we began to observe marks of cul- 
tivation. We passed the Island of Bique, 
where vessels bound for Quebec and Mon- 
treal usually take pilots; for the naviga- 
tion of the river now becomes more intri- 
cate, from the number of islands, banks, 
and shoals, which abound. At Bique 
there is good anchorage; and the frigates 
which come to convoy the Canada ships 
home, do not in general go higher : it is 



36 

the usual place of rendezvous. The vessels 
from Quebec proceed down to Bique to 
receive their sailing instructions. It is 
distant from Quebec about 150 miles, and 
from Montreal near 350. 

After passing Bique, several beautiful 
islands make their appearance ; Green 
Island, Hare Island, the islands of Kau- 
mouraska, and a variety of others, all cover- 
ed with wood. Some of them are inhabit- 
ed, and in a state of cultivation; no more 
wood being left than is necessary for fuel 
and other domestic purposes. This, in the 
course of time, will be the case with almost 
all of them, as the soil of many is very 
good. 

The magnitude of the river now strikes 
one very forcibly, for though it is about 
twenty miles broad, I found, on tasting 
some of the water at half ebb tide, that it 
was perfectly fresh. I really do believe that 
there is more fresh water thrown into the 
ocean from this river, than from all the 
rivers in Europe put together. I have seen 
many of the largest of them. A dozen 
Danubes, Rhines, Rhones, Taguses, and 
Thameses, would be nothing to twenty 



37 
miles of fresh water in breadth, from ten to 
forty fathoms in depth. 

The mountains on both sides are very 
high, and often terminate in capes or bold 
headlands, which have a very fine effect. 
In general, I perceive that there is, on both 
sides of the river, a tract of land compara- 
tively level, between high-water mark and 
the first range of mountains, particularly 
on the south side ; and we see parish 
churches, villages, and a general appear- 
ance of cultivation. Yet still the strip of 
cultivated ground, viewed from the river, 
is so small, compared with the high wood- 
covered mountains in the back ground of 
the picture, that it is scarcely enough to 
take off the appearance of complete savage 
wildness. The sombre hue of the pine forest 
is a strong contrast to the lively verdure of 
the corn-fields. I perceive that the spring 
is very late in this part of the country : 
in many places the rising grain is not suffi- 
ciently advanced to cover the ground, and 
the forest trees are not yet in leaf. Vege- 
tation, in general, is very little advanced, 
although we are now at the end of May. 



38 

One cannot help being struck with this 
tardy appearance of spring in a latitude so 
far south. We are now in latitude 48, 
which is not only to the south of the most 
southerly part of England, but even con- 
siderably to the south of Paris, where sum- 
mer heat is now oppressive. If we com- 
pare the commencement of vegetation in 
the old and new world, we shall perceive a 
striking difference even where both situ- 
ations may feel the influence of the sea air. 
In Norfolk (on the coast), w T hich is at 
nearly an equal distance from the north 
and south extremes of England, vegetation 
was last year very generally observed, both 
in the field and in the forest, about the 
middle of March, although upwards of five 
degrees to the north of our present situ- 
ation. 

We anchored, during the night, att he 
foot of the traverse^ a well known part of 
the St. Lawrence, where we first had an op- 
portunity of observing the great rapidity 
of the tides, and where, from shoals and 
islands, the navigation, to strangers, be- 
comes somewhat difficult, and even dan- 



39 
gerous ; but with a good pilot and a fair 
wind there is little or no risk. 

This morning we have a fine breeze, and 
we approach Quebec fast. We are now 
opposite the Island of Orleans, one of the 
largest in the river, and one of the most 
beautiful. It is about thirty miles in 
length, by about ten in breadth. Look- 
ing at this island one might fancy one's self 
in some part of Britain. The greatest part 
of it appears cultivated; and villages and 
cottages every where present themselves to 
the eye. 

Quebec just begins to open to our 
view in very fine style : the scenery on 
both sides of the river is charming. On 
the left we see Point Levi, with its roman- 
tic church and scattered cottages ; on the 
right is the upper point of the Island of 
Orleans; beyond it the mainland opens to 
view, and you are struck with the magnifi- 
cent Falls of Montmorency. A river, called 
The Montmorency, of very considerable 
magnitude (as large as the Thames at Rich- 
mond), is seen precipitating itself in a 
body over a perpendicular precipice of 
246 feet. It is allowed to be one of the 



40 

finest waterfalls in the world. The eye 
then runs along a cultivated country for 
about half a dozen miles, and the prospect 
is terminated by a ridge of mountains on 
the right, and by Cape Diamond and the 
Plains of Abraham on the left, where you 
see the city and battlements of Quebec 
commanding majestically the surrounding 
country. 

The ship is alongside the wharf ; and 
although she is as good a ship, and we have 
had as good a voyage as falls to the lot of 
most people, yet I do assure you, I very 
willingly step out of her, — into the Conti- 
nent of America. 



41 



LETTER V. 



Quebec, July, 1806". 

Having led you, my worthy friend, across 
the Atlantic, and Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
and conducted you up the river to Quebec, 
let us take a view of this famous city and 
its neighbourhood. I have now been here 
a few weeks; and a few weeks residence is, 
I conceive, quite enough to enable one to 
see and judge of the outward and visible 
part of a country, its inhabitants, and their 
customs. Indeed, I am convinced that it 
is during the first few weeks' residence that 
you are best qualified to judge of, and de- 
scribe these matters. In the first place, 
the appearance and manners of the country 
you came from, are alive in recollection; 
hence you will the more forcibly be 
struck with every thing new ; and in the 
second place, while these impressions are 
new, they will so occupy your mind, as 
to enable you, with facility, to describe 



42 

them clearly and forcibly, which you 
would have great difficulty in doing after 
time had familiarized them to you, and 
weakened your recollection of that country, 
and of those appearances with which 
you originally contrasted them. Hence 
you always find that the truest and most 
lively descriptions of countries, of people, 
and of manners, are given by travellers 
who make a point of noting down, under 
the impressions of the moment, what- 
ever may strike them as worthy of re- 
mark. 

Europeans have ever been told that 
the appearance of America is extremely 
imposing; and, so far as I have seen, I 
can safely bear testimony to the truth of 
the remark. Nature seems to have sketch- 
ed the picture with a bold hand : the out- 
line is rough, but the effect is grand, and 
d, la distance, the scenery is extremely 
pleasing. 

There is not, perhaps, in the whole ex- 
tent of this immense continent, so fine an 
approach to it as by the river St. Law- 
rence. In the southern states you have, in 
general, a level country for many miles in- 



43 

land ; here you are introduced at once 
into a majestic country : every thing is on 
the grand scale ; mountains, woods, lakes, 
rivers, precipices, waterfalls, all shew the 
hand of nature in a vast and imposing 
manner: the stamp, the impression of 
originality, are conspicuous every where. 
The pigmy operations of man, the marks 
of civilization and of cultivation, here and 
there meet the eye ; yet, nevertheless, the 
country has still the appearance of an im- 
mense forest. 

When we reflect on the number of 
years this country has been in the possession 
of Europeans, we cannot help being sur- 
prised that it should still retain so much of 
its original rudeness: it is now about 260 
years since it w r as taken possession of by 
the French. However, it must be confess- 
ed, they cannot be said to have had peace- 
able possession. They were very soon at- 
tacked by the Indians, who kept them in 
an almost constant state of warfare ; they 
were never free from alarms ; and in this 
perilous situation they continued for many 
years. The infant colony seems to have 
°een very much neglected by Old France, 



44 

who did not by any means watch over it 
with a motherly care. 

The colonizing of Canada was for 
many years entrusted to private individuals, 
who, at their own expence, fitted out ex- 
peditions. They were usually men of rank 
and fortune, who took the lead in these 
expeditions, receiving from government an 
exclusive right to trade with the Indians in 
furs, which at first was the principal ar- 
ticle of Canadian commerce. These lead- 
ing men found no difficulty in enticing 
as many individuals to accompany them as 
their funds could provide for. But ex- 
perience ever shewed that these expedi- 
tions were on too small a scale to ensure 
success or safety to the settlers. They were 
quite inadequate to putting them on a 
footing with their opponents, the Indians ; 
who harassed them in such a manner by 
continued and reiterated incursions, that 
. they could neither sow nor reap in safety. 

From the year 1535, when Quebec was 
first discovered, to the year 1664, a period 
of 129 years, the government and trade 
of Canada were in the possession of private 
merchants holding under patents from the 



45 

king of France. In the year 1664, the 
king assumed the government; a governor 
was appointed; but the trade of the 
country was given exclusively to the Com- 
pany des Indes Occidentales. 

The English had by this time esta- 
blished colonies in New England, and at 
Boston, who did every thing in their 
power to weaken and annoy the French 
colony, which they found interfered in 
their trade with the Indians. Indeed, the 
English attacked and took Quebec so far 
back as the year 1629; but it was restored 
to the French by the treaty of St. Germain 
in 1632. 

The French government, even after they 
took the colony under their own imme- 
diate care, seem to have paid more atten- 
tion to the fur trade, to exploring the in- 
terior of the country, cultivating the friend- 
ship of the Indians, and spreading the 
Roman catholic religion, than to the im- 
provement of the country in agriculture, 
and the promotion of the arts, and the do- 
mestic pursuits of civil society. 

It is surprising to think with what per- 
severance and industry the Roman catholic 



46 

missionaries explored the interior of the 
country ; submitting to the privation of 
every comfort, adopting the savage mode 
of life, subjecting themselves to a thou- 
sand insults, and even to death itself, 
which was inflicted sometimes in the most 
barbarous manner. Without going into 
the merits of the cause which prompted 
such perseverance, — such heroic conduct, 
we cannot help admiring the men who 
thus evinced their zeal and courage. 
Where the intention is good, praise is due, 
and we may suppose will have its reward 
from Him who knoweth the heart. 

I shall close this, as an opportunity oc- 
curs for England. In my next you shall 
have some account of one of the first cities 
on the Continent of America, in celebrity 
at least, if not in extent. 



47 



LETTER VI. 

Quebec, August, 1806, 

Amongst the great variety of cities which 
I have had occasion to visit in ray peregri- 
nations through Britain, and the different 
countries on the continent of Europe, I 
think I never saw any one which has so 
happy a situation as Quebec*. 

Samuel de Champlain, who founded it 
in the year 1608, deserves immortal honours 
for the judiciousness of his choice. It ever 
has been considered, and probably ever 
will be considered, as the capital of that 
immense region called the Canadas. It 
certainly is the key of the river St. Law- 
rence, which contracts suddenly opposite 
to the city, being only about a mile in 
breadth; whereas the bason of Quebec, im- 
mediately below, is from four to five miles 
in breadth ; and the river widens immedi- 
ately above the city. The grand battery 
of Quebec is opposite to the narrowest 

* Latitude 46.55, longitude 70.10. 



48 

part of the river, and is an extensive range 
of very heavy ordnance, besides some 13 
inch mortars, which, if properly served, 
must destroy any vessels which might 
attempt to pass, or come near enough 
to injure the town. 

The river opposite to Quebec is about 
100 feet in depth, and affords good an- 
chorage: for a considerable way above 
Quebec it is navigable for ships of any 
size. Indeed, large ships go as high up 
as Montreal, which is near 200 miles 
above Quebec. 

The site of Quebec seems to have been 
destined by nature for the capital of an 
empire. The surrounding country is mag- 
nificent; and it is seen to great advantage 
from Cape Diamond, which overlooks the 
great river, and is the termination of the 
plains of Abraham. 

It is a very difficult thing to convey 
by words a correct idea of any town, or 
give a just notion of the situation of a 
place, and the appearance of its surround- 
ing scenery. In reading the description 
of a place, we naturally draw a picture 
of it in our own mind ; but it is always an 



49 
erroneous one. Nothing but a model, if 
properly executed and coloured, or a pano- 
rama, the most excellent of all sorts of 
painting, can enable one to form so correct 
an idea of a place as to supersede the ne- 
cessity of visiting it. 

I recollect how much I was struck with 
the difference between the picture I had 
drawn in my own mind of many places 
of consequence and celebrity, the descrip- 
tions of which I had read, and their real 
and true appearance on inspection. Of 
these the most striking were London, Lis- 
bon and its magnificent Cintra, Gibraltar, 
Montpellier, Lyons, Paris, and many other 
places of note on the continent of Europe. 
Although the picture I had drawn to my- 
self of Quebec was not correct, yet it was 
fully as near the truth as I expected it 
would be. 

I do not pretend to be a great profi- 
cient in the topographic art, but the draw- 
ings of Quebec are, in general, so very er- 
roneous, or at least so inadequate to the 
end proposed, that the aid of description 
seems extremely necessary, in order that a 

E 



50 

tolerably correct idea of the place may be 
formed. 

The genera] course of the river St. Law- 
rence is from south-west to north-east. 
iVbove the island of Orleans, the St. Law- 
rence expands, and a bason is formed by 
the junction of a river called the St. Charles, 
which comes from a lake of the same name, 
situated amongst the mountains towards 
the north. After passing an Indian vil- 
lage, about ten miles from Quebec, called 
Lorette, situated upon elevated ground, 
the St. Charles takes its course through a 
plain, which is separated from the great 
river by a ridge of high land, about nine 
miles in length, extending from a place 
called Cape Rouge, to Cape Diamond. The 
general breadth of this ridge is from one 
to two miles. Cape Diamond is a bold 
prcmontory, advancing into the river St. 
La vrence, of an elevation of 350 feet above 
the river, nearly perpendicular; and the 
baiiK the whole way to Cape Rouge is 
nearly of the same elevation, rising from 
the river almost perpendicular: the ridge 
slopes towards the north till it reaches the 



51 

valley, through which the river St. Charles 
runs. This ridge of land has every ap- 
pearance of having been an island, sur- 
rounded by the great river. The valley is 
full of large round stones, and other matter, 
which indicate the presence of water at no 
very remote period, and the operation of a 
strong current. 

On the north-east, or lower end of the 
peninsula, Quebec is situated; and the 
line of its fortifications runs from the river 
St. Charles, across, to the top of the bank 
which overlooks the St. Lawrence; the 
distance is about half a mile: and from 
the line of fortification to the point of 
Cape Diamond the distance is about a 
quarter of a mile: within this space stands 
the city of Quebec. It consists of an 
Upper and Lower Town: the Upper Town 
may be said to be situated on Cape Dia- 
mond, at least upon the side of it, which 
slopes towards the river St. Charles. It is 
much elevated above the Lower Town, and 
separated from it by a line of steep rocks, 
which run from the cape towards the river 
St. Charles, Formerly the river St. Law- 
rence, at high water, came up close to these 



rocfo; but as the tide rises and falls he 
*boct nrtexen ieet. it gave an opportunity 
of taking from the river a considerable 
space; wharfs were built at low water- 
mark, and even at some places beyond it, 
and the intermediate ground filled up to 
such a height that it remained dry at 
high water. Upon this situation strec 
were laid oat, and houses built, 
streets run from the upper side of Cape 
Diamond down to the river St. Charles 
a distance of about half a mile; they are 
of considerable breadth, and the houses 
are large and commodious; those next the 
river hare attached to them very extensive 
warehouses (called, in the language of 
Quebec, k.in^crd*'. and 



dose to die wharfs to disclar g e their car- 
goes; at some of them the vessels remain 
afloat at low water, at others, which are 
not carried so far out, or where the river 
does not deepen so suddenly, the vessels lie 
drr at low water. 

The Lower Town is not included in the 
fortifications, but the passes to it are com* 
npanded by the batteries in die line of for- 
tification, wfaichsurromids the Upper Town; 



53 

so that the approach by land to the Lower 
Town will hardly be attempted by an ene- 
my. It is true the Americans attempted it 
in the winter of 177-3? but they were re- 
pulsed with great slaughter. 

General Montgomery, in the winter 
177o> besieged Quebec with an American 
army, and when reinforced by General Ar- 
nold attacked the city by assault on the 
night of 31st December. They were re- 
pulsed; — the general and two of his aids- 
de-camp were killed. The blockade con- 
tinued during the winter: but on the arri- 
yal of troops from England in the spring, 
the siege was raised, and the Americans 
driven out of the province. 

During the winter the town was de- 
fended almost wholly by the inhabitants; 
there were only forty soldiers in the garri- 
son. Luckily two king's ships wintered 
there, the crews of which assisted in the 
defence of the town. The deficiency oi 
men in the garrison arose from their ha vino- 
been carried into the United States to tight 
our battles in that quarter. The defeat of 
the Americans on the plains of Abraham, 
and their being obliged to raise the siege, 



54 

has contributed, amongst other things, to 
distinguish Quebec as a strong hold. 

The communication from the Lower 
Town to the Upper Town is by a winding 
street; at t :op of which is a fortified 
aate. On entering this gate, von find on 
the right hand a large area, in which is si- 
tuated the house (dignified with the title 
of a palace) in which the bishops ot Que- 
bec formerly resided; at present it is used 
for public offices, and accommodates the 
supreme council and house of assembly. 
Beyond the palace you have the grand 
battery, on which are mounted many pieces 
of heavv artillery, besides mortars, which 
certainly command the channel of the 
great river. 

Turning to the left soon after entering 
the gate, you* find yourself in another area 
or square; on the side next the river you 
see the Chateau de St. Louis, in which the 
governor resides. It is situated on the 
brink of a precipice, and you have the 
Lower Town of Quebec under your feet. 
The view from the gallery at the back of 
the chateau is extensive and grand. Oppo- 
site to the chateau on the other side of the 



55 



square, you have the English church, a 
very elegant building; and the court house, 
where elegance is not so conspicuous. On 
the north side of the square you have a 
very handsome building, erected for, and 
used as, a tavern, hotel, and assembly 
room. 

In the neighbourhood of this square 
you find towards the north an extensive 
area, in which is situated the Upper Town 
market-house; a building perfectly unique 
in its kind. One does not know which to be 
most astonished at 9 whether the want of 
taste in the architect, or that his plans 
met with approbation: suffice it to say, 
that on a building one story high, you have 
a dome as large as that of St. Paul's in 
London. Never were the rules of archi- 
tecture and common sense more outraged. 

From the area of the market-place dif- 
ferent streets diverge, leading to the differ^ 
ent gates of the city; viz. Hope Gate, Pa- 
lace Gate, St. John's Gate, and St. Lewis's 
Gate,besides the gate leading to the Lower 
Town; — these streets constitute the Upper 
Town. Outside of St. John's and Palace 
Gate there are extensive suburbs, which 



56 

are increasing in size daily. The popula- 
tion of Quebec and its suburbs may be 
reckoned about ten thousand souls. 

There is nothing in the appearance of 
Quebec itself which strikes one as being 
very different from an English town, ex- 
cept, perhaps, the roofs of the houses; they 
are generally covered with boards or shin- 
gles, and you always see on the roofs, seve- 
ral ladders, for the sake of easy access in 
case of fire. 

A shingle roof so much resembles a 
slate one, that when they are painted a 
slate colour, you cannot know the one 
from the other; the only evil attending 
them is, that they are liable to catch fire: 
from this circumstance, Quebec has for- 
merly suffered greatly from fires. A law 
has been passed encouraging the cover- 
ing houses with boards in place of shin- 
gles, and, indeed, prohibiting the latter al- 
together. 

The dread of fire in Quebec is greater 
than in any place I have ever known, but 
when it is considered how much they for- 
merly have suffered from it, one ceases to 
be surprised. 



m 

A society has been formed, called the 
Fire Society: they elect a president and 
other office bearers annually. The object of 
this society is to assist in the extinguishing 
of fire, for which purpose they have several 
engines and firemen; indeed, in case of fire 
almost every man may be said to be a fire- 
man, for every body lends his assistance: 
poor people who have been very active re- 
ceive pecuniary reward from the society. 
Their funds are raised by annual voluntary 
subscription. 

Many of the best houses, and most va- 
luable warehouses are covered with tin 
plates, which make not only a very beau- 
tiful and very durable roof, but are also a 
complete security against fire. 

The reason that fire has spread so ra- 
pidly in Quebec has been, that the shingles 
when once inflamed, being extremely light, 
were blown by the wind to an incredible 
distance, and operated on other shingle roofs 
like a shower of fire. Now, the tin-plates 
receive the burning shingles with impunity; 
it might be imagined that the tin-plates 
would wist, but this is not the case. I have 



58 

seen roofs near forty years old, and they not 
only remained perfectly bright, but had never 
required any repairs ; so that although some- 
what expensive at first, a tin-plate roof will 
be a saving in the end. 

There are very few objects of curiosity 
in Quebec deserving the attention of a 
stranger. We have all read and heard so 
much about nunneries, without, in Eng- 
land, having an opportunity of seeing them, 
that the occasion no sooner presents itself 
than it is embraced. Strangers generally 
pay a visit to the Quebec nunneries: to 
me they were not objects of curiosity, 
having seen so many in Portugal and in 
Spain ; however I made one of a party, and 
visited them. 

There are three nunneries in Quebec, 
the Hotel Dieu, the Ursulines, and the 
General Hospital. The nuns appear to have 
as much reason to be satisfied with their si- 
tuation as any nuns can be supposed to 
have. They tell you that they are happy; 
but were they to say so a thousand times, 
you, somehow or other, cannot bring your- 
self to believe it ; — so contrary to human 



59 
nature seems the life they lead. They 
will reason with you as to the propriety of 
their institution. — I observed to one of then;, 
with whom I had some conversation, that I 
thought it a very cruel and unfair thins; to 
permit a young girl who was ignorant of 
the world, and even of the natural propen- 
sities of her own heart and mind, at the age 
of fourteen, to take vows of eternal celiba- 
cy, and seclusion from the world. Her 
answer was plausible if not conclusive: she 
said, that the law permitted young women of 
that age to take vows of eternal constancy 
to man, — she did not see any good reason 
why they should be prohibited from taking 
vows of eternal constancy to God. 

The nuns here are not so useless, how- 
ever, as those in the south of Europe; 
they employ themselves in teaching young 
girls, reading and needlework. They at 
the same time, it is true, instil into their 
young minus, very bigoted notions of their 
religion, which is a matter of conscience with 
them : but it is to be regretted, that young 
people, who must necessarily have very 
frequent communication with heretics in 



60 

the course of their future lives, should be 
taught to look on them with an unchari- 
table eye. 

However, I believe I can safely say, 
that nowhere do the Roman Catholics and 
Protestants live on better terms than here. 
They go to each other's marriages, baptisms, 
and burials without sciuple; nay, they have 
even been known to make use of the same 
church for religious worship, one party 
using it in the forenoon, and the other in 
the afternoon. There is something truly 
Christian in all this; it evinces a meekness 
of spirit, and a degree of charitable for- 
bearance with one another, which greatly 
promote general happiness. 

The Roman Catholic religion is that of 
the great majority of the people; and, by 
the Quebec bill of J 7 74, the clergy are 
authorised to receive tythes from people of 
their own persuasion, but not from Protest- 
ants, or off lands held by Protestants, 
though formerly such lands might have 
been subject to tythes. The dues and 
tythes of these lands are still however paid; 
but it is to persons appointed by govern- 



61 

ment ; and the amount is to be reserved in 
the hands of the receiver-general for the 
support of protestant clergy actually resid- 
ing in the province. The governor may 
erect parsonages and rectories, and endow 
them out of these appropriations. The 

clergy of the church of England, in both 

i — 

provinces, amount at present to twelve 
only, exclusive of the bishop of Quebec ; 
— of the church of Scotland there are only 
three; — of the church of Rome there are 
about two hundred. 

Quebec on the north, north-east, and 
south sides, is so strongly fortified by the 
nature of the ground, that little has been 
left for the engineer to do ; what was ne- 
cessary however has been done: and as 
the great river, and the river St. Charles 
surround, in a manner, the fortifications in 
these directions, and in some places come 
very near the bottom of the rocks; no ene- 
my, if a common degree of vigilance is 
observed, can hope to succeed by an attack 
on these quarters. 

The least defensible part of Quebec is 
towards the south-west, where the line of 



62 

fortifications extends from one side of the 
peninsula to the other, enclosing the city 
and highest part of Cape Diamond. There, 
a cavallier battery has lately been erected, 
which commands the ground to a consi- 
derable distance from the walls; at the 
extent of the range of this battery, markello 
towers are about to be erected, which will 
sweep the plains of Abraham, and prevent, 
in some measure, an enemy from approach- 
ing near enough the walls to make a breach. 
There is no fosse; so that if a breach were 
once made, a daring enemy would have no 
difficulty in entering the city. 

The ground for a considerable distance 
to the south-west of the city of Quebec is 
called The Plains of Abraham, famous for 
the battle in which General Wolfe beat the 
French. These plains are nearly on a level 
with the fortifications, and widen as you 
retire from them, to the extent of from one 
to two miles, preserving the level nearly 
throughout, but sloping a little both ways, 
particularly towards the river St. Charles 
on the north. On the side towards the St. 
Lawrence the bank is of great height; 



63 

almost perpendicular, and generally cover- 
ed with wood where the slope will admit 
of it, which is not always the case. Not- 
withstanding the difficulty of ascent, Ge- 
neral Wolfe, with infinite labour, contrived 
to carry his little army, and a few small 
field pieces, to the top of the bank, and 
took his stand on the plains of Abraham. 

The French were astonished, on looking 
out in the morning, to find him there ; they 
came out of the city and gave him battle. 
He beat them, and followed them close up 
to the walls of the town. 

It was very unaccountable that the 
French should resolve to come out of a 
strong fortification (where they might long 
have resisted the assailants) and put them- 
selves on a footing with their enemies. 
Besides the troops in the city of Quebec, 
the French had ten thousand men encamp- 
ed at Beauport, within a few miles of Que- 
bec. If an arrangement had taken place 
with those troops, that they should attack 
Wolfe at the moment the garrison sallied 
forth, his little army must have been cut to 
pieces. To this error we owe Quebec*. 

* They were less to blame, perhaps, than General 



64 

The French general Montcalm, as well 
as the brave Wolfe, fell in the engagement; 
very different however must have been their 
feelings in their last moments. The con- 
duct of the Frenchman in rashty sacrificing 
his troops and the interests of his country 
could not bear reflection. Wolfe saw his 
troops triumphant; they had beaten the 
enemy : he died in the arms of victory. 

How sleep the brave, who sink to rest, 
By all their country's wishes blest ! 
When Spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
Returns to deck their hallowed mould ; 
She then shall dress a sweeter sod, 
Than Fancy's feet have ever trod. 

By fairy hands their knell is rung, 
By forms unseen their dirge is sung. 
There, Honour comes? a pilgrim grey, 
To bless the mould that wraps their clay : 
And Freedom shall awhile repair 
To dwell a weeping hermit there. 

I have been on the spot where Wolfe 

Murray afterwards was, who, notwithstanding the exam- 
ple of the French having suffered by it, left the fortifica- 
tions, went out on the plain in the face of a superior army, 
under the command of the French general Mr. Levi. 
He was beaten, and obliged to retreat to the city with the 
loss of his artillery and near a third of his army. 



65 

fell, and a stone is shewn on which it ig 
said he was laid* It is very much mutilat- 
ed, from the curiosity of strangers who wish 
to carry off a bit of it, as a kind of relic. 
One cannot help feeling a good deal inte- 
rested in traversing a field of battle; — the 
glory which we attach to the death of the 
hero who falls in his country's cause, sanc- 
tifies the ground on which he fell. 

The upper town of Quebec being on a 
very elevated situation, enjoys fine air, and 
a commanding view of the surrounding 
country, which affords the most sublime 
scenery in nature. I have seen most of 
the fine views in Europe; and 1 can safely 
say, they do not surpass, perhaps they do 
not equal, that from the flagstaff of Que- 
bec on Cape Diamond. 

The majestic St. Lawrence under your 
feet, receiving the waters of the river St. 
Charles, and forming the bason of Quebec, 
from three to four miles across ; — further 
on you see the river dividing itself into two 
branches, forming the beautiful island of 
Orleans: — on the opposite side of the great 
river, a finely wooded country, terminating 
at Point Levi, conceals the course and bed 

3? 



66 

of one of the branches of the river, — the 
island of Orleans, the falls of Montmoren- 
cy, strike the observer; and the villages of 
Beau port, Charlebourg, and Lorette, ap- 
pear at a distance, and render the woods in 
which they are embosomed more interest- 
ing. The eye follpws the northern branch of 
the St. Lawrence till it is lost amongst the 
distant mountains. To the southward you 
look over a level country for upwards of 
sixty miles, till the view is bounded by 
mountains. This extensive tract is still in a 
great measure in a state of nature; — no- 
thing to be seen but the stately forest in 
all its majesty. 

Amongst the fine views which I have 
beheld with delight, and which combine in 
them objects sufficiently striking to entitle 
them to be compared with the view from 
Quebec, I recollect that from the Rock of 
Gibraltar, — from the pass of Bellegarde in 
the Pyrenees, — from the Place de Peru at 
Montpellier, — from Kings weston near Bris- 
tol, — from Edinburgh Castle,— from Cintra 
near Lisbon, — and from many other places 
which 1 could mention; but the view from 
Quebec is equal to any of them, perhaps I 



67 
'might even venture to say, that it surpasses 
them all. It is difficult to imagine a more 
happy blending of art and nature;— vil- 
lages, country houses, cottages, corn fields, 
— are combined with primeval woods, fine 
rivers, beautiful islands, magnificent water- 
falls, towering hills, and lofty mountains. 

From the scenery which surrounds Cape 
Diamond let me return to the Cape itself. 
— I had heard that Cape Diamond, and 
the country in the neighbourhood of Que- 
bec, abounded with marble. I am no great 
mineralogist; but, from every thing I can 
observe (and I have taken some pains to 
examine), I do not find any species of cal- 
careous rock in the whole extent of the 
ridge, from Cape Diamond to Cape Rouge. 
What generally prevails, is a coarse income 
plete sort of schistus, the laminae of which, 
when exposed to the operation of the at- 
mosphere, moulder into a dark brown co* 
loured earth; it never can be used for 
building to any advantage, unless it is de- 
fended from the action of the air. 

Cape Diamond abounds with very fine 
specimens of quartz, or rock crystals. — I 
have myself, in walking on the banks of 



68 

the river at the foot of the rocks, found 
many of them. They are discovered from 

the brilliancy of their reflecting surfaces: — 
they sparkle like the diamond; — and hence 
the place had its name. On examination, 
I have generally found that they are pen- 
tagons, terminating in a point, and possess- 
ing naturally much of the brilliancy and 
polish of a cut diamond ; and they are so 
hard, that like a diamond they cut glass. 



LETTER VII. 

Quebec, August, 1806, 

I formerly observed to you, that Que- 
bec seems admirably situated to become 
the capita] of an empire. Allow me to men- 
tion the circumstances which induce me to 
think so. . 

The uninterrupted navigable part of 
the St. La,wrence is of great extent, — 
near five hundred miles, which is the di- 
stance between the Gulf of St. Lawrence 
and Montreal, where, are found vessels of 
from 3 to 400 tons burden. In its course 
it receives a number of fine rivers, which 
open a communication with the country on 
both sides. The lake Champlain, 120 
miles in length, communicates with the St. 
Lawrence by means of the river Sore I (or 
Ckambly, as it is sometimes called), and is 
the natural channel for the produce of the 
fine country surrounding this lake. 

Although the ship navigation ends at 
Montreal, another species of navigation 



/ 

70 

commences, suitable to the waters to be 
navigated, and to the commodities to be 
transported. Bateaux, and canoes, convey 
to Upper Canada, and the country round 
the lakes, and to the north-west territories, 
the European commodities they want; and 
with the aid of scows*, floats, and rafts, 
carry down to Montreal and Quebec the 
surplus produce of these immense regions, 
as yet of trifling amount 'tis true, compared 
with the commerce of Europe; but when 
one reflects on the variety of climate, of soil, 
and of productions, which these extensive 
countries display; and the facility given to 
the transportation of goods by means of so 
many fine rivers and large lakes; one cannot 
help concluding that it is destined at some 
future period to be the most commercial 
country on earth. 

The river St. Lawrence must ever be 
the grand outlet to the ocean for the pro- 
ductions of all that tract of country be- 
tween the United States and Hudson's 
bay, including the lakes Erie, Ontario, Mi- 
chigan, and lake Superior^; and there can 

* These, described in another place. 

f Although the lakes are not immediately connected 



71 

be no doubt that Quebec is the key of the 
river St. Lawrence. 

When we consider the many millions of 

with the Atlantic by any other river than the St. Law- 
rence, yet there are several rivers that fall into the At- 
lantic, which rise so near the sources of others that run 
into the lakes, and each navigable for boats so near their 
sources, that by means of them, and of a very short land 
carriage, trade may be carried on between the Atlantic, 
and the lakes. There are three channels for this trade 
which particularly demand attention ; the first by the 
Mississippi and Ohio, and thence up the Wabash, Mia- 
mi, and Muskingum, from the heads of which there are 
portages of from 1 to 15 miles, to the rivers which fall 
into the Lake Erie : secondly, along the Patowmack river 
(which flows past Washington Citj/J, and from thence 
into the Cayahoga, Bigbeaver, and Yahogany, to Presqr.e 
Isle, on Lake Erie: thirdly, along Hudson's River (which 
falls into the Atlantic at New York}, and the Mohawk 
River, Wood Creek, Lake Oneida, and Oswego River, 
which falls into Lake Ontario. In the course of time 
there will be a competition amongst the settlers on these 
different routs, which shall have most of the trade of the 
Western territory, but they must all yield to the St. Law- 
rence, which commands a decided preference, because 
the distance to a port where vessels from the ocean can 
load, is shorter than by any of the other routs, and the 
portages are not so long ; and besides, during the summer 
months, the rivers in the United States have so little 
water near their sources, that the length of the portages 
must be greatly increased. In the St. Lawrence they are 
always the same, It 



72 
acres which communicate with this river 
and surround the lakes, where, at present 
you have only the stately pine, the hardy 
oak, and many other tenants of the forest; 
and where in course of time will be seen 
the golden harvest, the lowing hierd, the 
bleating flock, and the sons and daughters 
of industry and innocence; — the heart ex- 
pands with secret pleasure, and tastes in 
anticipation, the happiness in reserve for 
posterity. 

Man in civilized society is naturally a 
commercial animal; he is seldom satisfied 
with what he possesses; he must be chang- 
ing one thing for another; he is prompted 
to it by his wants, and when he can find in 
any one place such things as he may desire 
to have, thither he resorts* This formerly 
gave birth to fairs ; and it has made some 
cities perpetual fairs. It has made Lon- 
don the first city in the world ; and it will 
continue Quebec as the first city in the 
Canadas; perhaps it may become the first 

It is worthy of notice that a person may go from 
Quebec to New Orleans, at the mouth of the Mississippi, 
by water the whole way, except about the space of one 
mile from the source of the Ilinois river, to the source of 
a river which falls into Lake Michigan, 



73 

in America, for it has a much more exten- 
sive communication with the interior of 
America than the new city of Washington 
or any other city of America. Neither 
the Patowmac, Chesapeake, Delaware, nor 
Hudson's river, are at all to be compared 
to the St. Lawrence, either in magnitude 
or extent of back country. 

Quebec is already considerably extend- 
ed beyond the walls: there may in time be 
as much difficulty in finding out the old 
walls and old city of Quebec, as there is 
in finding the bounds of the old city of 
London. I fancy I hear people proposing 
to take a walk to the west end of the town, 
or to Wolfe s Square, in the centre of which 
may be placed his statue, where Wolfe's 
stone now lies. The river St. Charles, which 
at present covers unnecessarily a great deal 
of ground, may be confined to a narrow 
channel, and will be a fine situation for 
extending; the Lower Town as far as Beau- 
port. Wharfs and quays will of course 
arise : the situation is excellent for dry and 
wet docks; and warehouses without number 
may be eligibly situated. I believe the 
Trench had this in contemplation, and even 



went so far as to make a plan of it. Long 
before these things take place, Canada may 
possibly be no longer a British colony : to 
this subject I shall direct your attention 
in my next letter. 



75 



LETTER VIII. 

i 

Quebec, August, 1S66. 

Allow me to make a few observations on 
the treatment the Canadians have expe- 
rienced since the conquest. 

The length of time Canada may con- 
tinue under the dominion of Britain, will 
depend very much on the manner in which 
the country is governed, and the kind of 
policy observed towards the inhabitants. 
It is a subject which is even now discussed 
every day, and I find that there is a great 
difference of opinion about it. 

We lost the United States by an impo- 
litic course of treatment, and it behoves us 
to look well to the Canadas. Some people 
pretend to say that we are better without 
America, and very ingenious arguments 
have been brought forward to prove it. 
One thing we may be assured of is, that 
the arguments will be favourably received: 
we are very glad to find palliatives for evils 
we cannot remedy. I suppose no one will 



76 
pretend to say that he loss of our North 
American colonies, and consequently of 
our Newfoundland trade, would not be a 
very serious evil to Great Britain. Al- 
though self-interest and the power of cus- 
tom might induce the people to continue 
their trade with us, and our Customhouse 
books might shew higher exports than while 
they were under our dominion,' still if we 
depended on them for any articles of the 
first necessity; — party spirit, caprice, or fo- 
reign influence, might produce a non-im- 
portation act, or an embargo, nay they 
miorht even refuse bread and water to our 
men of war ; — injuries to which we never 
"would he liable, were we masters of the 
country. It appears to me to be decidedly 
the interest of Great Britain to retain the 
dominion of her North A:i erican colonics, 
even though her doing so should retard their 
progress in population, in arts, ana in com- 
merce. Their individual interests ougHt to 
yield to those of the mother countiy, the 
head of the empire. 

Canada, and Canadians, differ very ma- 
terially from the ci-devant British colonies 
in America and their inhabitants. These 



77 
were Englishmen,— ^descended from men 
who had the highest notions of civil and 
religious liberty, and they inherited the 
temper and sentiments of their ancestors; — 
they were impatient under what they con- 
ceived to be the tyranny of government, 
and they brought about the revolution. 
The Canadians are legitimate Frenchmen,-— 
the descendants of the worshippers of Louis 
the Fourteenth and of Cardinal Richelieu, 
■ — the descendants of men who never once 
formed an idea, themselves, of the nature 
of civil and religious liberty, and who, of 
course, would not be likely to impress it on 
the minds of their children. The authori- 
tative mandates of the French king have 
never sounded in their ears in vain; — they 
were issued with all the arrogance of des- 
potism, and received with implicit and 
passive obedience. Even now, to reason 
with the great bulk of the Canadians on 
the measures of government, is what they 
never look for; they have no idea of ques- 
tioning their propriety ; — command them 
au nom du Roi, and you will be obeyed. 

The government of Britain have thought 
fit to give to Canada a constitution upoq. 



78 

the same principles as her own; and have 
given to the Canadians the right of elect- 
ing, and being elected members of the 
legislature. How far it has been wise so 
to do, appears at least problematical. 
That which is a positive good in certain 
circumstances, may be a positive evil in 
others. Is it clear, that the British form of 
government is fitted for Canada, and that 
the Canadians are in a state to be benefit- 
ed by being allowed a share in the govern- 
ment? Does their knowledge, their educa- 
tion, the whole train and direction of their 
ideas, prejudices, and passions, fit them 
for being legislators ? 1 suspect that the 
answer must be in the negative. How 
can those men attain a knowledge of the 
principles of government, and of civil 
and religious liberty, who can neither 
read nor write, which is the case with 
the great mass of the people, and how- 
ever strange it may appear, is the case 
with many of the members of the House of 
Assembly. This must seem incredible, but 
is however strictly true; and is of itself a 
most convincing proof t hat it was too soon 
to give them a share in the government. 



79 
The state of the country is so low as to 
arts a*id letters, that it is impossible to 
find in the counties, and even sometimes 
in the towns, men, who in any respect are 
capable of taking a part in the legislature. 
Let knowledge be more gene/ally spread 
through the country; let the people be 
taught to read and to reason, which En- 
glishmen had long been habituated to be- 
fore they received their constitution, and 
then, and not till then, ought they to have 
a voice in the deliberations of government. 

I do not deny that some of the Canadians 
are qualified from their education and ge- 
neral knowledge to tak6 a part in state 
affairs, but it is the case with very few of 
them ; and to pretend to find in the counties 
in general, fit men to represent them, is 
altogether out of the question. The coun- 
ties are large districts, thinly inhabited, 
and generally by people who cannot leave 
their families without great injury to their 
private interests. In fact, more than one 
half of the members of the House of As- 
sembly are merchants, shopkeepers, law- 
yers, and notaries public, living in Quebec 
and Montreal. The House of Assembly 



80 

consists of fifty members, and I will ven-* 
ture to say, that taking away seven or eight 
of them, whom I could name, the business 
of the House could not go on at all, such 
is the incapacity of the rest. Would not a 
council, including these seven or eight mem- 
bers, answer every purpose of a House of 
Assembly? Nay, be more consonant to the 
feelings and prejudices of the majority of 
the Canadians, and to the state of the pro- 
vince both in a civil and military point of 
view. 

I may be told that it is now too late, 
the Canadians having tasted the sweets of 
power. It is an observation as true as it is 
common, that it is never. too late to do well. 
It is to be hoped, and presumed, that the 
House of Assembly will not in any material 
point thwart the intentions of the execu- 
tive, or act contrary to the interest of 
Great Britain. If they did, I should think 
it by no means too late for the governor to 
dissolve them never to meet again, except 
to be instantly dissolved, which it is in his 
power to do. It would be doing many of 
them no great injury to transplant thern to 
their corn fields, or country shops, instead 



81 

of allowing them to sit in a House of As- 
sembly where the} r are mere eyphers, or, at 
best, tools to a few designing men. 

The Canadians themselves seem to have 
felt their incapacity to act as legislators, 
for they opposed as much as they could 
the introduction of the present form of 
government. It was brought about by the 
English residents in Quebec and Montreal; 
but from some mismanagement at home 
they were completely outwitted. If Up- 
per and Lower Canada had had but one 
house of assembly, the English party 
would have always kept the majority. 
But Canada was divided into two provin- 
ces ; and as the French Canadians in Lower 
Canada greatly outnumber the English, 
they have completely the ascendency in the 
House of Assembly ; — a thing never dream- 
ed of by those who promoted the introduc- 
tion of the present form of government. The 
Canadians find that the government of the 
country is virtually placed in their hands ; 
the English cannot carry a single point if 
they choose to oppose them ; and is it to 
be expected that a constitution founded 

G 



on the purest principles of civil and re- 
ligious liberty, can be supported, explain- 
ed, and acted upon, by men, who are as 
ignorant of such principles, as they are 
deficient in general knowledge ? 

The division of Canada into two provin- 
ces, with separate and independent go- 
vernments, was certainly approved of by 
Mr. Pitt, though it did not originate with 
him : — the present lord Grenville I have un- 
derstood was instrumental in bringing it 
about. It appears contrary to principles 
which Mr. Pitt afterwards applied to an- 
other part of the empire. He maintained, 
and all mankind must allow that union 
gives strength and vigour; by the union 
of Scotland and Ireland with England, 
the strength of the whole is generally 
allowed to be increased. The same 
principle will apply to the Canadas. They 
should not have separate legislatures, be- 
cause it will in time engender separate 
interests, real or supposed; and produce a 
jarring in their co-operation for the general 
good of the colony, and in promoting tljer 
interests of the mother country. 



83 

It does not appear attended with much 
difficulty, even now, to unite the two houses 
of assembly, as the Irish was to the English 
Parliament. Let the governor of Upper 
Canada be in civil, as he now is in mi- 
litary matters, subordinate. The officers 
of the crown, and the judges, (as in Scot- 
land and Ireland), might continue to act, 
each for their own district, under such new 
regulations as might seem expedient. The 
laws and language of Upper and Lower 
Canada being different, need be no objec- 
tion. The same thing exists between the 
highlands of Scotland and England, though 
the same legislature serves both. An union 
of the two governments seems the only line 
of policy which can ensure to Englishmen 
that weight in the country which is highly 
expedient, not only for their own safety and 
convenience, but for the good of the pro- 
vince, and the interests of Great Britain, 
If Canada is to have a representative go- 
vernment (which I by no means think ne- 
cessary), the whole province should have 
but one legislature, and one head. 

The British government have in more 



84 

cases than one, acted unwisely, in my 
humble opinion, in these matters. — There 
can be little doubt that the kind of go- 
vernment to be given to a conquered 
country ought to be fitted for the people 
to be governed, regard being had to their 
previous habits, and the general state of 
society. 

The English conquered Corsica, for in- 
stance, and took it into their heads to give 
the Corsicans a British constitution. Of all 
the islanders in the Mediterranean the 
Corsicans are the most savage, and were 
the least accustomed to think for them- 
selves in matters of government. What 
was the consequence ? Lord Minto, the 
first viceroy, could tell you. Their savage 
manners could not be moulded so as to 
make them fit for deliberating in council. 
Like the Canadian members of parliament, 
many of them could neither read nor write. 
Such men cannot appreciate the value of 
a. free constitution. The English are so 
fond of their consitution, that they think 
it is only necessary to shew it to all the 
world* and it must be accepted with joy. 






85 

This way of thinking will naturally enough 
be adopted by those who have studied po- 
litics in their closet, and have never been 
out of England ; — but, by those who have 
visited foreign countries, who have con- 
templated man in a state of ignorance and 
superstition, very different conclusions, I 
venture to say, will be drawn. The Eng- 
lish consitution is, I imagine, too complex 
a machine to be at once understood, adopt- 
ed, and put in motion, by a simple and 
uninformed people, who have not been ac- 
customed to political disquisitions, and ab- 
stract reasoning. We ought to recollect, 
that even in England, a nation ever forward 
in its advances to refinement, it was only 
by degrees that a free constitution was in- 
troduced, — the country for many centuries 
being in a state of probation, as it were* 
The seeds of liberty, which, in one reign, 
were sown and began to shoot out, were in 
the next, trodden under foot and destroyed. 
Rational and genuine freedom is not the 
child of theory, it would appear ; it can- 
not, like a book, be taken up and laid down 
at pleasure. 



86 

A truce, however, for the present, to po- 
litical discussions. I am going with a party 
to see the Falls in this neighbourhood. The 
Fall of Chaudiere is, I am told, very grand ; 
and the Fall of Montmorency, will, I doubt 
not, give as much pleasure, on a near view, 
as we are led to expect from its grand ap- 
pearance at a distance. 



87 



LETTER IX. 

Quebec, September, 1806, 

Since I last had the pleasure of writing 
you, I have visited not only the Fall of 
Chaudiere, but also the Fall of Montmo- 
rency, two of the greatest natural curiosities 
which this country has to boast of. Neither 
of them is equal to the far-famed Falls of 
Niagara, in Upper Canada, where the St. 
Lawrence precipitates itself in a body over 
a rock about 160 feet of perpendicular 
height; but they are both possessed of 
beauties peculiar to themselves, which 
render them highly deserving the attention 
of the lovers of the sublime and beautiful. 

The river Chaudiere falls into the St. 
Lawrence, about five miles above Quebec, 
on the opposite side. When a visit to it is 
in contemplation, a boat must be procured, 
for which you must be indebted to some 
of your friends, as there are none for hire : 
and you must carry meat and drink with 
you,(if you intend to eat) — a thing never to 



88 

be neglected when a jaunt into the country 
is proposed. A cockney steps into a post- 
chaise when he makes an excursion from 
London, — drives twenty miles into the coun- 
try to some favourite spot, — orders dinner at 
the inn, — takes his amusement, and returns 
when he feels an inclination. In all this 
business, he is a very passive kind of animal. 
Now, here, if you wish to go into the coun- 
try, you must literally be active; — you must 
study the tides, procure boats and men to 
manage them, carry your dinner and drink 
with you, act the part of cook yourself fre- 
quently ; — all this, however, serves, I think, 
to make these little excursions the more 
amusing. 

We went up the St. Lawrence with the 
tide and a strong breeze, and landed in 
the mouth of the Chaudiere. It is so full 
of rocks and rapids that you cannot sail 
up it; and the banks are so steep and 
full of wood that they admit of no path to 
the fall. It is situated about three miles 
from where the Chaudiere joins the St. 
Lawrence ; and it is necessary to make a 
circuit of a few miles in order to get to it 
Part of our way was easy enough, as there 



89 
is a road cut through the wood ; but the 
greater part is very difficult, as you are 
obliged to find your way through a wood 
where there is no road, nor any visible 
path to direct you, — at least that I could 
discern. However, some of the party had 
been there before; and were, besides, some- 
what acquainted with the art of travelling 
in a wood. 

It is surprising what new light experi- 
ence throws on this way of travelling. An 
Indian or a Canadian voyageur, will dis- 
cern a path or tract where others have 
passed, and follow it for many days, where 
you aijd I never would have imagined a 
human being had passed before. Those 
accustomed to travelling in the woods ac- 
quire a dexterity in discovering footsteps, 
truly surprising. The fallen leaves, where 
I could discover no vestige, shew, to an ex- 
perienced traveller, infallible marks of it. 
They are frequently aided by the under- 
wood in finding the route already taken ; — 
a branch broken in a certain manner, or, 
the branches twisted, or put into unnatural 
situations, indicate that some one had 
passed that way. By their acuteness in 



90 

these matters, the Indians follow either 
foes or friends through extensive forests 
with as much certainty as the fox-hound 
follows the fox. If they expect to be fol- 
lowed by their friends, they leave certain 
unequivocal marks behind them. They 
break the underwood at every step in a par- 
ticular manner, and notch the trees as they 
pass along. 

If an Indian or Canadian voyageur 
wishes to make a journey to any particular 
place, to which there is no known tract ; — 
he goes into the woods without the smallest 
dread ; he makes a straight course, and 
will, after many days journey, reach his 
destination, without a compass, through 
woods that perhaps never before had been 
trodden by the foot of man. They tell you, 
that by narrowly observing the trees, they 
discover certain marks which indicate to 
them the points of the compass, even though 
the sun should be obscured by thick wea- 
ther. They never lose their presence of 
mind, as those do who are not accustomed 
to travelling in the woods. For my part, 
had I been left alone, after penetrating into 
the Chaudiere wood a few miles, I doubt 



91 
touch whether I ever could have found my 
way out again. 

There was an instance, not long ago, of 
a person belonging to Quebec having lost 
his party who were going to see the Falls. 
He was never more heard of. It was sup- 
posed that he had wandered in the wood 
till his strength failed him, and that he had 
fallen a sacrifice to famine. This idea is 
confirmed from the circumstance of a hu- 
man skeleton having since been found in 
the wood. He was a strong, healthy, 
young man. 

It is very well known in this country 
(from a number of people having from time 
to time lost their way in the woods, but 
who accidentally found it again), that the 
rfiind undergoes a wonderful change when 
you find you have lost all traces of your 
way. A kind of delirium comes on — per- 
haps the effect of fear. The person is no 
longer capable of using his accustomed sa- 
gacity, and profiting from his own experi- 
ence. Objects which might have pointed 
out to him his way, are passed by unno- 
ticed ; he often wanders in a circle while 
he supposes himself pursuing a straight 
line. Sometimes, after wandering a whole 



92 

day, he finds himself within a short dis- 
tance from his own house, when he thought 
himself many miles from it; and vice 
versa. 

A gentleman lately told me, that he 
went into the woods in Upper Canada 
with his gun, in the near neighbourhood of 
his own house. In pursuing his game he 
penetrated deeper into the wood than he 
had been accustomed to do, and finally 
lost himself. He did not know which way 
to go ; he persevered however, in hopes of 
getting to some part of the country which 
he knew ; he travelled the whole day with- 
out knowing where he was, and without 
the least appearance of an inhabited coun- 
try. Overcome with fatigue of body and 
distraction of mind (for he had left a wife 
and family at home), he sat down in de- 
spair. After sitting some time, he thought 
he discerned a house through the trees at 
some distance ; — he started up, — and made 
towards it. Conceive his astonishment, his 
joy-— it was his own house : he thought him- 
self at least forty miles from it. In fact, he 
had been travelling all day in a circle, and 
often in places which he might have known, 
had his mind been tranquil, and possessing 



93 
its usual powers of discernment ; but these 
had fled, the moment he became alarmed at 
finding he did not know his way. 

I have been told many stories of this 
kind ; and I am the more inclined to be- 
lieve them from my having once experi- 
enced something of the same kind myself, 
on losing my way, and all traces of a road, 
upon an immense heath in Portugal. The 
effect, on that occasion, was more visible on 
my guide than myself. We had set off 
pretty early in the morning, — had crossed a 
mountain, and proceeded several miles on 
a dreary heath, by tracts known only to the 
muleteers. It was in the month of No- 
vember ; the day was dark and gloomy, and 
it had rained violently all the morning. By 
and by, I found that my muleteer stood 
firm, and would not advance. I called 
out to him to know what was the matter; 
he said, we had lost our way. The rain had 
for a long while so beat in my face, that I 
had not paid much attention to the ground 
we were upon, I trusted to my guide. On 
now looking around me, I found that there 
was not the smallest trace of a road. 
" Oh, my God !" cries the muleteer, "we 
are lost — we shall perish, Meo Dzos ! so- 



94 

mos per did os, Jesus! Jesus!" — He imme«< 
diately began to cross himself. I knew 
this to be the dernier resort of a Roman 
6atholic when in despair, and that force 
alone would now make him exert himself. 
He would neither advance nor retreat ; he 
seemed to have lost his power of judging 
and reflecting, as well as his powers of act- 
ing. I was determined he should advance, 
and at length, by threats, and a certain de- 
gree of coercion, I roused him to action. 
We did advance, and finally arrived at 
a part of the country which was inhabited, 
I was glad to find that we had wandered 
but a few miles from our way. — Let us re- 
turn, however, to the woods in Canada. 

Our party had no great difficulty in di- 
recting their course to the Chaudiere. Its 
noise at last announced its proximity. The 
Chaudiere would in England be considered 
as a river of considerable magnitude. Its 
banks at the fall, are highly picturesque; 
they are very lofty. and very steep, yet co- 
vered with stately pines of a variety of fan- 
tastic shapes. Scrambling along a rock, 
you approach the brink of the precipice 
130 feet perpendicular, where the river 
throws itself into the abyss below, roaring 



95 

and racing: along, as if angry at being forced 
from its native channel, to be lost in the 
St. Lawrence. 

We were much gratified with the gran- 
deur of the fall, and of the surrounding 
scenery. Looking up the river, the view h 
not extensive, but highly picturesque ; the 
lofty banks are overhung with wood, and 
the grey rocks, which now and then shew 
themselves, add to the wildness of the 
scene. The water, when not swelled hj 
rain, does not fill the channel, but is seen 
winding round the points of rocks, and 
forming into currents, which, according to 
the quantity of water at the time, sepa- 
rate or join near the head of the fall, and 
quickening their motion as they approach 
the brink, are dashed into the gulf below. 
The view down the river is of the same wild 
nature as that upwards ; rocks and trees 9 
and rolling rapid streams, all confounded 
together: the sunbeam illumines the rising 
spray, mixing radiant gems with the som- 
bre hue of the forest. Nature* in this spot, 
seems just emerging from original chaos — 
so wild is the appearance and arrangement 
of every thing around you. 



96 

After having fully gratified our curid- 
sity, and remarked all the beauties of the 
place, seated on the Chaudiere rock, and 
moistened with the rising spray till we were 
dripping like so many river gods* we re- 
solved to retrace our steps through the 
wood. We did so with less difficulty than 
on our approach, and regained our boat 
with appetites worthy of some excellent 
beef steaks, with which we had provided 
ourselves. We lighted a fire on the rocks,-— 
cooked our dinner, — made up a table in our 
boat, and with one accord commenced the 
attack. Every thing was excellent, be- 
cause every body was hungry, and disposed 
to be pleased :— noble ingredients in all 
feasts and parties, from the cottagers' po- 
tatoes and milk, — up to ragouts and bur- 
gundy. 

After seeing the Fall of Chaudiere, my 
curiosity was the more strongly excited to 
see the Fall of Montmorency, more famous 
still than the Chaudiere, because it is seen 
at a distance by all who sail up the St. 
Lawrence. 

The river Montmorency falls into the 
St. Lawrence about nine miles below Que- 



. 37 
Bee ; and it may be said, almost literally* 
to fall into it, for the distance does not ap- 
pear to be above four or five hundred yards. 
The approach to it, both above and below^ 
is very easy ; you may drive a gig to with- 
in a few yards of it. The Montmorency 
is certainly one of the finest falls in the 
world : it is (as I have formerly mentioned) 
no less than 246 feet perpendicular height. 
Some give the preference to the Fall of 
Chaudiere, because the surrounding scenery 
is more picturesque. For my own part, I 
am inclined to give the preference to the 
Montmorency. It is nearly as large a river 
as the Chaudiere, and from the great height 
of the fall in one undivided mass, it is more 
grand and striking. The banks of the river 
downwards soon terminate in the St. Law- 
rence, and are so perpendicular that trees 
cannot grow on them. They are, of course, 
not so beautiful as those of the Chaudiere ; 
but the magnificence* the grandeur of the 
fall, so occupies the attention, so fills the 
mind, that you do not think of looking for 
trees or rocks ; they would be lost in the 
grandeur of the principal object. This is 
not so much the case at the Chaudiere. IF, 

H 



93 

turning your attention altogether from the 
Fall of Montmorency, you direct it up the 
river, the scenery is not to be surpassed 
any where. I have been several miles up 
the river, and must say I never saw scenery 
more picturesque. 

After viewing the fall, if you turn your 
attention towards the St. Lawrence and the 
Island of Orleans, and, following the course 
of the river, direct your view towards the 
lower end of the island, by Chateau riche 9 
till you reach the mountain called Cap 
Tourment, it must be allowed that it is dif- 
ficult to imagine an assemblage of objects 
more interesting, or better calculated to in- 
flame the fancy of the poet, or give life to 
the canvas of the painter. 

Both the Montmorency and the Chau- 
diere may be viewed either from the top or 
bottom of the fall. The latter, it is gene- 
rally thought, is seen to greatest advantage 
from below. You are pleased and asto- 
nished with the 

" Sweeping theatre of hanging woods, 

u Th' incessant roar of headlong tumbling floods." 

The Montmorency, too, viewed from be- 
low, is truly sublime. 



99 

And full lie dashes on the rocky mounds, 

Where thro' a shapeless breach his stream resounds ; 

As high in air the bursting torrents flow, 

As deep recoiling surges foam below. 

Prone down the rock, the whitening sheet descends, 

And viewless Echo's ear, astonish'd, rends ; 

Dim seen thro' rising mists, and ceaseless show'rs, 

The hoary cavern, wide surrounding low'rs ; 

Still thro' the gap the struggling river toils, 

And still below the horrid cauldron boils. 

Who could imagine that this fine de- 
scription was not made at the Montmo- 
rency ? Words cannot describe it more 
happily. A volume of the works of the 
immortal Scotch bard happened to be on 
my table while I was writing you, and had 
nearly finished my letter. I accidentally 
took it up, and the first thing almost that 
presented itself to my view was the above 
poetical effusion. It harmonised so well 
with the train of my ideas, that I transcribed 
it immediately, quite happy in the reflec- 
tion that my letter would now contain 
something worth reading, something to re- 
pay y° u for the trouble of getting through 
it. Lest I should be mistaken, however, 
I will not increase the evil, but for the pre- 
sent bid you adieu. 



100 



LETTER X. 



Quebec, March, 180?. 

There is a great deal of misapprehension 
in Britain relative to this country. It is 
naturally concluded that, in a British co- 
lony such as Canada, a conquered coun- 
try, those who govern and who give law to 
it, would be Englishmen. This, however, 
is by no means the case ; for though the go- 
vernor and some of the council are English, 
the French Canadians are the majority in 
the house of assembly ; and no law can 
pass, if they choose to prevent it. The 
English (supposing the governor to exert 
all the influence he possesses) cannot carry 
one single question ; and the Canadians 
have been in the habit of shewing, in the 
most undisguised manner, the power of a 
majority, and a determination that no bill 
should pass contrary to their wishes. They 
carry things with a high hand ; they seem 
to forget that the constitution under which 



101 

they domineer over the English, was a free 
siift from Britain ; and that what an act of 
parliament gave, an act of parliament can 
take away. 

You will naturally imagine also, that in 
a British colony,the English language would 
be used in the house of assembly, public 
offices, and courts of justice. No such 
thing ; the French language is universally 
used, and the record is kept in French and 
in English. The Canadians will not speak 
English ; and Englishmen are weak enough 
to indulge them so far as to speak French 
too, which is much to their disadvantage ; 
for though they may speak French well 
enough to explain themselves in the ordi- 
nary affairs of life, they cannot, in de- 
bate, deliver themselves with that ease, and 
with the same effect as in their native lan- 
guage. 

The Canadians find that they have got 
the whiphandof the English, and they seem 
resolved to keep it, without being at all 
delicate as to the means. I can give an in- 
stance, — Near the end of the session, many 
of the Canadians have obtained leave of 
absence, in order to return to their families 



102 

and occupations; so that it has happened 
that just so many were left as would make 
a quorum, of whom about half were Engv 
lish and half French. When the latter 
found that the English were likely to carry 
a question, a Canadian has been known to 
step outside the bar, and there stand while 
another told the house that they must ad- 
journ for want of .a quorum. The speaker 
did not think he had power to compel the 
member outside the bar to resume his place; 
and thus questions were put off till a de- 
cided majority of Canadians could attend. 

A French newspaper, called Le Cana- 
dien, has lately been edited here : the evi- 
dent intention of which is to raise the Ca-* 
nadian character, and detract from that of 
the English. It is natural enough for the 
Canadians to wish to appear in the most re- 
spectable light possible; but they should 
not attempt to do so by the means they are 
now following. 

I had heard much of Le Canadian, and I 
took it up with a curiosity much excited ; 
but instead of finding something new, I 
found the translation of a letter written by 
General Murray to the British government 



103 

forty years ago, in consequence of a quar- 
rel between him and the British settlers, full 
of the most violent complaints against them. 
Let these matters be true or let them be 
false, why should they be brought forward 
now? It is evident that the Canadians 
wish to identify the character of the mer- 
cantile men of the present day with that of 
those who were here at the time General 
Murray wrote his letter. Let us suppose, 
(without, however, admitting the fact) that 
every thing General Murray said was true ; 
that the English residents were at that time 
low bred and unprincipled, and that their 
conduct was such as might be expected 
from such people, both General Murray 
and the Canadians might feel it. It was a 
matter the Canadians had reason to regret 
and to complain of; but they might as well 
regret and complain of the conquest itself, 
for the one is a natural consequence of the 
other. What is the usual train of events 
upon a conquest ? 

The old laws and regulations are over- 
turned with the government that framed 
them. A military government at first takes 
place ; its duration is in proportion to the 



104 

nature, extent, and value of the colony. «-~ 
Respectable mercantile men look at the 
colony with an eye of suspicion ; they will 
not leave places where they are already es- 
tablished, and which they know ; they will 
not trust themselves, their families and pro- 
perty, in a country newly conquered, and 
which may soon revert to the parent state. 
Time alone can give confidence to mercan- 
tile men, and bring to a conquered coun- 
try men of capital. Although they will not 
go themselves, however, they will risk part 
of their property, and put it in charge of 
those who may be inclined to try the expe- 
riment. Such men remain in the country 
at all risks, and they are joined by a num- 
ber of the followers of the army who are 
known tp be characters not the most re- 
spectable in the world. Such are always 
the mercantile men of newly conquered 
countries. 

One of the greatest evils of conquest is, 
that the ancient laws of the country being 
destroyed, and the new not understood and 
properly enforced, the evil-disposed, no 
longer feeling the restraints of law, break 
put into frequent excess, and are guilty of 



105 

fraud and deceit; the bad shew themselves; 
the good become, in time, less good, from 
the influence of bad example. This prin- 
ciple operates equally upon the conquerors 
and conquered, and has been conspicu- 
ous in this country. It is ever to be re- 
gretted ; but with conquest itself it must 
be endured. In process of time the two 
countries assimilate ; mutual accommoda- 
tion, mutual good offices, reconcile the peor 
pie to each other. The military government 
gives place to civil government; and the 
equal and impartial distribution of justice 
by civil judges, keeps in check any attempts 
at injustice in the conduct of individuals ; 
greater stability and security are given to 
property ; the minds of men are at length 
brought into proper discipline by the regu- 
lar operation of just and equitable laws. — - 
Merchants of character and respectability, 
such as at present are to be found in this 
country, are attracted from different quar- 
ters, and grow up in the country. Their 
capital gets into circulation, and by their 
knowledge and industry they supply the 
public wants, and infuse life and energy 
every where. 



106 

Such is the progress of society in a con- 
quered country. It is in the nature of things 
that it should be so. Why then should the 
Canadians, at this late period, rip up old 
sores, and attempt to attach to the present 
mercantile men of this country the charac- 
ter Murray gives of those who came here 
forty years ago ? It is an unworthy, insi- 
dious kind of conduct, as distant from jus- 
tice as from truth. Le Canadien seems to 
commence under the influence of a very bad 
spirit — amalignant spirit of party ; — perhaps 
not unconnected with the views of that man 
whose victories and power are only equal- 
led by his ambition, and his unquenchable 
hatred towards England. 

An idea is very generally entertained, 
both in Canada and in England, that the 
French, in their capitulations of Quebec 
and Montreal, stipulated for, and obtained 
the use of their own laws; and that we can- 
not now interfere in these matters. The 
first time I heard this idea started, was soon 
after my arrival in Canada. I had been 
reading the articles of capitulation, and the 
definitive treaty with France, ceding Ca- 
nada; but they had left no such impression 



107 
on my mind. I had recourse to them again, 
and remained convinced that no such con- 
clusions could be drawn from them. 

The Canadians were allowed the free 
exercise of their religion ; and private pro- 
perty, personal and real, with all their 
rights, were to be respected ; but they are 
not allowed their ancient laws, or any share 
in the government. 

The only article in the capitulation of 
Quebec*, which applies to this point, is 
the second, in which it is granted, " That 
" the inhabitants shall be maintained in the 
" possession of their houses, goods, effects, 
" and privileges/' — In the capitulation of 
Montreal -f-, the 27th article stipulates, 
" That the free exercise of the catholic, 
" apostolic, and Roman religion, shall bub- 
" sist entire in such manner that all the 
" states, and people of the towns and couu- 
f4 tries, places, and distant posts, snail con- 
" tinue to assemble in the churches, and to 
" frequent the sacraments as heretofore, 
** without being molested in any manner, 
" directly or indirectly. These people shall 

* Dated 18th September, 1759. 
f Dated 8th September, 1 760, 



108 

" be obliged by the English government to 
" pay to the priests the tythes and all the 
" taxes they were used to pay under the 
" government of his Most Christian Ma- 
" jesty." Granted, as to the free exercise 
of their religion ; the obligation of paying 
tythes to the priests will depend on the King's 
pleasure. 

The 34th article stipulates, " That all 
" the communities, and all the priests, shall 
" preserve their moveables, the property 
" and revenues of the seigniories, and other 
" estates, which they possess in the colony, 
" of what nature soever they may be; and 
"' the same estates shall be preserved in their 
" privileges, rights, honors and exemptions? 
Granted. 

The 37th article stipulates, " That the 
^ lords of manors, military and civil offi- 
" cers, the Canadians as well in the towns 
" as in the country, the French trading or 
" settled in the whole extent of the colony 
" of Canada, and all other persons what- 
" soever, shall preserve the entire peace- 
" able property and possession of their 
" goods, noble and ignoble, moveable and 
* c immoveable, merchandizes, furs, and 



109 
" other effects ; even their ships, they shall 
" not be touched, nor the least damage 
" done to them, on any pretence whatever. 
" They shall have liberty to keep, let, or 
" sell them, as well to the French as to the 
" English, to take away the produce of 
" them in bills of exchange, furs, specie, 
" or other returns, whenever they shall 
" judge proper to go to France, paying 
" their freight, as in the 26th article. They 
" shall also have the furs which are in the 
" posts above, and which belong to them, 
" and may be on the way to Montreal ; and 
" for this purpose they shall have leave to 
" send, this year or the next, canoes fitted 
" out to fetch such of the said furs as shall 
" have remained in these posts." Granted, 
as in the 26th article, which excludes any 
property belonging to his Most Christian 
Majesty, which must become the property 
of the King. 

The 41st article stipulated, " That the 
P French, Canadians, and Acadians, of 
" what state and condition soever, who 
" shall remain in the colony, shall not be 
48 forced to take arms against his Most 
\ Christian Majesty, or his allies, directly 



/< 



<6 

a 



110 

" or indirectly, on any occasion whatso- 
11 ever. The British government shall only 
" require of them an exact neutrality/'—- 
Answer. " They become subjects of the 
King! 9 

The 42 d article stipulates, " That the 
" French and Canadians shall continue to 
be governed according to the custom of 
Paris, and the laws and usages established 
for this country; and they shall not be 
" subject to any other imposts than those 
" which were established under the French 
" dominion/' Answered by the preceding 
articles, and particularly by the last. 

This request to have their old laws is • 
thus positively refused. They are told that 
they are to become subjects of the King of 
Great Britain. The best proof that this 
was the meaning of all parties, is, that from 
the conquest to the year 1774, a period of 
fourteen years, the Canadians were govern- 
ed by English laws in both civil and crimi- 
nal matters. A court of king's bench, and 
trial by jury, were established. Had there 
been any idea of the Canadians having a 
right to be governed by their own laws, it 
certainly would have been taken notice of 



Ill 

in the definitive treaty of peace between 
France and England in the year 1763, in 
which Canada was finally ceded to Eng- 
land ; but that treaty only stipulates for the 
Canadians " the exercise of the Roman ca- 
tholic religion, so far as the laws of Great 
Britain permit ;" thus limiting the articles 
in the capitulations relative to religion, and 
defining clearly the intention and meaning 
of the two governments. 

There were no other laws acted upon by 
the English in Canada previous to the year 
1774, but the laws of England, and the 
proclamations of the governor and council. 
It is true, I believe, the laws were not ad- 
ministered m a way to give satisfaction to 
the Canadians ; but had they been ever so 
well administered, it is not likely the Ca- 
nadians would have been satisfied. They 
did not understand either the laws or forms 
of process. These are matters that are not 
to be understood all at once. Perseverance 
would have been crowned with success; 
but the British legislature gave way to the 
importunities of the Canadians. An act Df 
the British parliament was passed in the 



in 

} r ear 1774, declaring all former provisions! 
made for the province to be null and void* 
and that all controversies, as to property, 
should for the future be determined agree- 
ably to the laws of Canada. In criminal 
matters the laws of England were still to 
be used. 

I have no hesitation in saying, that I 
think it would have been a fortunate thing 
for the country, if the English civil laws had 
been also firmly and permanently estab- 
lished ; not on account of its own superior 
excellence, which the Canadians might 
justly question, but because it would have 
been understood by the judges, and uni- 
formly and properly interpreted/ A pro- 
per line of proceeding would, by this time, 
have been fixed upon; the practice and 
rules of court would have been ascertained 
and determined ; the decisions would have 
been uniform ; the laws would have been 
strictly enforced ; and the minds of the 
people kept alive to proper notions of right 
and wrong. 

Has any thing like this happened ? — - 
not at all. In Upper Canada there is a 



113 

chief justice and two puisne judges. Lower 
Canada was divided into three districts in 
the year 1794. In the district of Quebec 
there is a chief justice and three puisne judg- 
es, one of whom is a Canadian ; in the dis- 
trict of Montreal the same number ; in the 
district of Three Rivers, only one judge. — 
The chief justices are always Englishmen; 
the situation is respectable, and generally 
given to some English lawyer from Lon- 
don, who is likely to be very little ac- 
quainted with either the laws or the lan- 
guage of Canada. The laws are of course 
ill understood and ill interpreted ; there has 
been no uniformity of decision ; — the peo- 
ple have interpreted one way 3 and have re- 
gulated their conduct by the maxims hand- 
ed down to them by their fathers ; the 
judges have interpreted another way, in- 
volving the parties in great expence and 
trouble ; and this state of uncertainty has 
opened a door for all sort of quibbling 
amongst the lawyers ; the consequence has 
been, that the people have lost all respect 
both for the laws and for the judges. 

Canada presents an instance of the bad 
effects produced on the mind, and moral 



114 

perceptions by a lame or improper admini- 
stration of justice and government. 

Previous to the conquest by the Eng- 
lish, I am told that the Canadians were an 
upright, honest people, fulfilling every en- 
gagement, and punctual in the perform- 
ance of their various duties. The Abbe 
Raynal must have been wrong, when he 
says, in describing the Canadians — " There 
appeared in both sexes a greater degree of 
devotion than virtue; more religion than 
probity; a higher sense of honour than of 
real honesty; devotion took place of mo- 
rality ; which will always be the case 
wherever men are taught to believe that 
ceremonies will compensate for good 
works, and that crimes are expiated by 
prayers/' 

After the conquest, the people of great- 
est respectability, both civil and military, 
retired to France — judges, counsellors, 
great landholders, governors, and rulers of 
all sorts : all those who, by example, pre- 
cept, or authority, were qualified to keep 
good order in the country, who knew the 
people^ their prejudices, and wants: al- 
most all such Jeft it. In their room came 



115 

English governors and judges, who, though 
well meaning and just men, yet knew 
neither the people, nor their laws, language, 
nor customs ; and (from not being brought 
up in the country) they were unacquainted 
with the thousand minute and undescribable 
impressions and notions acquired in child- 
hood, which have a strong influence on our 
character and conduct through life. They 
could not, in the natute of things, preserve 
that check on the people to which they had 
been accustomed under the judges of their 
own nation. 

Man is prone to error — he needs a curb 
rein. The impressions which the old 
French government and judges left behind 
them, wore off by degrees, and the rising 
generation degenerated. I do not mean to 
confine this observation to the Canadians 
alone; Englishmen felt it likewise; and 
all mankind must feel bad effects from an 
imperfect definition of their line of dutyj 
and a want of good and wholesome laws. 

Nothing debases a people so soon or so 
effectually as bad laws, or a bad admini- 
stration of laws, in themselves good : the 
latter more frequently occurs than the for- 



116 

mer. I have had several opportunities, be- 
sides the present, of verifying the observa- 
tion. 

In the countries in the south of Europe, 
for instance, particularly in Portugal, the 
laws are good in principle, but they are ill 
administered. The judges are very cor- 
rupt; they are venal in the highest degree, 
which arises from their salaries being so 
low that they cannot support that rank in 
life to which they are entitled. From the 
gradual depreciation of money, their in- 
come has been constantly getting worse.— 
For some time, the respectability attached 
to the character of a judge would induce 
men of education and property to accept 
of the situation ; domestic oeconomy would 
enable them to preserve a respectable ap- 
pearance : but, in time, their situation 
ceases to be desirable. Men of inferior 
rank and education can alone be found to 
accept of it : bribes are offered, because 
the judges are known to be poor both in 
purse and spirit : bribes for the same rea- 
sons are taken : but the blame rests with the 
government ; — by not applying a remedy to 
the evil, which they know to exist, they 



117 
may be supposed to wink at it : it increases 
every day : corruption of every sort creeps 
in : a bad man will not pay his debts, if 
by paying part to his judge he can pre- 
serve the rest. If an innocent man is as- 
saulted and wounded, or robbed, and the 
culprit, though condemned upon the clear- 
est evidence, can purchase a pardon, the 
principle of retributive justice is wounded 
and weakened : — in time it is altogether 
destroyed. 

I knew an instance in Portugal, where a 
formidable band of robbers had carried on 
a practice, for some time, of robbing, and 
murdering in the most barbarous manner. 
They were, upon undoubted proof, con- 
victed of a variety of crimes of the deepest 
die;— the mere naming of which would 
make human nature shudder. They were 
condemned to death, to the number of, I 
believe, thirty. They consisted of inn- 
keepers, muleteers, friars, younger sons of 
respectable families: some women, too, 
were amongst them ; but they were not 
executed — and why? because they mus- 
tered up twelve thousand crowns, which be- 
ing handed over to a judge in Porto, where 



1J8 

they were tried, he procured their pardon. 
This circumstance is universally known in 
Portugal : it happened in the year 1802. 

Let me ask, what effect such a glaring 
act of injustice, such abominable venality 
in a judge, would have on society, parti- 
cularly on the minds of the rising genera- 
tion ? It is too evident : all idea of right 
and wrong must be destroyed : the pas- 
sions must gain strength, and take the lead, 
no longer kept under by early conviction, 
that every breach of the law will assuredly 
be punished : private revenge, deadly 
feuds, clandestine murder, become preva- 
lent. All these things are, in fact, frequent 
in Portugal, in Spain, in Italy, in Turkey, 
and in every other country where the sources 
of justice are polluted. 

In the feudal times in Britain, much of 
the same kind of proceedings were conti- 
nually occurring : individual caprice, and 
not the law, governed. Thankful ought 
we to be that no such abuses now exist. I 
have always thought there was great wis- 
dom and truth in the answer my Lord 
Mansfield gave to the King, when he was 
asked, at the time of the riots in Lon- 



119 
don, " whether he thought the government 
had reason to be alarmed at the apparent 
increase of licentiousness and corruption 
in the kingdom ?" The answer was, " that 
his Majesty had nothing to fear, so long as 
corruption was kept out of Westminster- 
hall" 

I beg pardon for taking up your time 
with these stories. They obtruded them- 
selves into notice, as illustrative of my as- 
sertion, that nothing debases a people so 
soon, or so effectually, as the mal-admini- 
stration of justice. 

In the application of the principle to 
Canada, I am very far from thinking that 
any of the judges are venal or corrupt; on 
the contrary, they are very upright and in- 
dependent men. The criminal law of Eng- 
land is administered in its greatest purity; 
crimes are sure of meeting the punishment 
attached to them : hence you seldom hear 
of any acts of violence. In criminal mat- 
ters, the abuse of justice strikes us forci- 
bly; but, in civil matters also, the abuse 
of justice has an infallible tendency to cor- 
rupt the public mind — whether it arises 



120 

from corruption in the judges, or from a 
defect in the application of the laws, and 
the arrangement of the proceedings in the 
courts. 

Here it is that Canada is defective ; the 
^courts are ill arranged ; the forms of pro- 
ceeding, vague and undefined. The French 
and English laws and forms, though good 
by themselves, have made a very bad mix- 
ture. There is, in short, something so bad 
in these matters, that the ends of justice 
are completely defeated. In Quebec, civil 
justice is really laughed at. A man who 
pays his debts here, has greater merit than 
in most other countries; he need not do it 
unless he thinks proper ; he has only to en- 
trench himself behind the forms and quib- 
bles of the law, and laugh at his creditors. 
Shame ! shame ! In the extended state of 
modern commerce, bankruptcy may ensue 
from unforeseen and unavoidable causes. 
No man would be more lenient in such cases 
than myself; but fraud and deceit are the 
same in all ages, and in all countries ; — let 
them be marked and punished. 

If you see the fraudulent bankrupt ca» 



121 

ressed and respected, while bis fraudulency 
is notorious ; if you see that the courts of 
justice are no longer the terror of evil doers, 
and the praise and protection of those that 
do well, but are laughed at by knaves, 
without any apprehension of their being 
forced to do justice, or fulfil engagements 
which it is convenient for them to evade ; 
when you see that this open and avow- 
ed injustice is supported by the ingenuity 
and quibbles of lawyers, because, forsooth, 
they have received a fee, and must do some- 
thing for it, were it even to assert things 
which they, and the whole court, knew to 
be gross falsehoods ; can there be a doubt 
that the public mind must be vitiated, and 
the security of property weakened ? 

In Canada there are no bankrupt laws; 
and you cannot arrest your debtor, unless 
you can swear that he is about to leave the 
country. You cannot put his property in 
trust for the benefit of his creditors, or 
deprive him of the power of disposing of 
it. You may easily conceive what an 
opening is thus given to those who are frau- 
dulently inclined. 

If you sue him, he puts you off from 



122 

term to term, by one quibble or another; 
in doing which, the lawyers here are very 
expert : for it seems a maxim with them, 
that any regard for truth is altogether an 
unnecessary part of their character. If 
they wish to gain time, some of them have 
been known to invent, on the spur of the 
occasion, the most gross falsehoods, and im- 
pudently pass them on the court as truths. 
Were it necessary to be more particular, and 
give an instance, I could at once do it. If the 
other party denies the truth of the assertion, 
a day is given to prove it : by that means 
a whole term, perhaps, is lost. If at last 
you get judgment in the lower court, the 
matter is carried to the court of appeals, 
where a year or two can easily be wasted : 
an appeal may then be made to the king 
and council. In short, one appeal follows 
another, till your patience, and your purse 
too, perhaps, are exhausted. The worst of 
it is, that all this time your debtor is wast- 
ing the money which ought to be in your 
pocket. 

Perhaps you may say, that you do not 
feel interested in all this, as you do not in- 
tend to go to law. So much the better :-— • 



123 

but if you wish to know a people, you can- 
not judge of them by a better criterion than 
the state of their jurisprudence. With this 
view I have gone a little into it. If you 
should ever have any dealings in this coun- 
try, the information may be of use to you. 

The study of the law, however, is in all 
its branches proverbially a dry study. I 
shall therefore give you a respite. 

As soon as the weather is agreeable, I 
purpose going into the country, in different 
directions, that I may get some knowledge 
of the inhabitants, and of the state of agri- 
culture. I shall have the pleasure also of 
viewing the natural beauties of the coun- 
try, which are scattered every where with 
a liberal hand. 



124 



LETTER XL 



Quebec, September, 180^ 

I have visited the greatest part of Lower 
Canada from Kamouraska, a hundred miles 
below Quebec, as high up as Lachine, near 
200 miles above it, so that I have had an 
opportunity of making some remarks on 
the Canadians, and their country; and 
have, besides, had a fair specimen of Ca- 
nadian travelling. 

I shall not go too much into a detailed 
and minute description of places, or take 
up your time in making you read a collec- 
tion of high-sounding inflated words, and 
technical phrases, in an attempt to paint 
the natural beauties of the country. Such 
attempts have been reproved as savouring 
of affectation, because, after all, they come 
very far short of the true end of descrip- 
tion — the giving a correct idea of the place 
described ; serving more to gratify the va- 



125 

nity of the writer, than to edify the 
reader. 

Travelling in Canada is certainly not 
altogether so pleasant as travelling in Eng- 
land. The Canadian calesh is a very sorry 
vehicle, compared to the English post- 
chaise ; nor are the auberges quite so com- 
fortable as English inns. A person who 
had been accustomed to travel only in Eng- 
land, would say, that a Canadian calesh, 
with its two wheels and single horse, with- 
out springs, and without cushions, was not 
fit for a Christian to be put into : and as to 
the auberges, or inns, that they were such 
filthy places, that you might lodge in a 
hog-sty without your olfactory nerves being 
more offended. 

I certainly must say, that there is great 
room for improvement, both in the form of 
the calesh, and the comforts and accom- 
modations of the inns. But I have seen 
worse. In order to reconcile myself to my 
situation, and extract as much happiness 
from the moment as it would admit of, I 
avoided comparisons with English inns and 
modes of travelling. I recalled to memory 
Spanish, Portuguese, and even French inns 



126 

and conveyances : the balance was much 
in favour of Canada. I felt myself per- 
fectly comfortable, and thanked my stars 
that it was no worse. 

It adds greatly to the comfort of travel- 
ling in Canada, that you are every w T here 
treated with the greatest politeness and at- 
tention. This, to me, counterbalances a 
thousand inconveniences. Often have I 
felt provoked on the continent of Europe, 
when, after a fatiguing journey, — wet and 
hungry, perhaps, into the bargain, — stop- 
ping at a filthy place, they called an inn, 
I have looked in vain for the least civility 
or assistance from the people of the house ; 
frequently obliged to carry in my own lug- 
gage, and endeavour to find a place where 
it might be safe from the thief-like fellows 
about me — the landlord, perhaps, amongst 
them. How different is the case in Ca- 
nada! A Canadian aabergiste (landlady) 
the moment you stop, receives you at the 
door with a degree of politeness and urba- 
nity which is as unexpected as it is pleas- 
ing. Voulez vous bien, Monsieur, avoir la 
complaisance d'entrer ; voila une chaise, 
Monsieur ; asseyez vous s'il vous plait. If 



127 
they have got any thing you want, it is 
given at once with a good grace. If they 
have not, they tell you so in such a tone 
and manner, as to shew that they are sorry 
for it. Je n en ai point, Monsieur; Tensuis 
mortifiee. 

You see that it is their poverty that re- 
fuses you, and not their will. A man must 
be as savage as a Goth, and as surly as a 
city epicure over spoiled venison, who, 
with such treatment, though his dinner 
should be indifferent, could leave the house 
in bad humour. 

The Canadian innkeeper is frequently 
a farmer also, or a shopkeeper. Indeed, 
you need never be at a loss for a house to 
stop at. There is not a farmer, shopkeeper, 
nay, nor even a seigneur, or country gen- 
tleman, who, on being civilly applied to 
for accommodation, will not give you the 
best bed in the house, and every accom- 
modation in his power. 

The Canadians seem to have brought 
the old French politeness with them to this 
country, and to have handed it down to 
the present generation. One is more sur- 



128 

prised to find here courtesy and urbanity, 
from the little likelihood that such plants 
would exist, far less flourish, in the wilds of 
Canada. 

During the months of July and August 
travelling in Canada is very uncomfortable 
from the great heat of the weather. The 
thermometer generally shews near 80 de- 
grees : however, where the occasion is very 
urgent, the inconvenience is not so great as 
to prevent you. In September the heat is 
more moderate, and travelling becomes 
pleasant. 

From Quebec to Montreal the distance 
is about 180 miles. You may either hire 
a calesh to go the whole way, or take a 
calesh from post-house to post-house. If 
you proceed direct, they generally make 24 
posts; and you get into Montreal on the 
morning of the third day, without travel- 
ling in the night time. The usual charge 
for posting is fifteen pence a league, which 
is much cheaper than posting in England. 
Indeed, it ought to be so, considering the 
nature of the vehicle, and your having only 
one horse ; besides, hay and corn are much 



129 
cheaper here than in England, and there is 
no post-horse duty. 

In the course of the journey to Mon- 
treal you are now and then tempted to 
stop, or to go a little out of your way, for 
the purpose of seeing a few places of note. 
You behold, every where, fine interesting 
scenery ; the road runs the whole way along 
the river St. Lawrence ; its banks and is- 
lands vary their appearance every hour, and 
keep the mind continually occupied and 
amused. 

The road differs from all others I have 
seen, in this, that it may be said to be al- 
most a continued street; one house suc- 
ceeds another so quickly, that I believe I 
may safely say there is not a mile without 
one. Except the town of Trois rivieres 
(Three rivers), you have scarcely any place 
that deserves the name of a town: but 
every parish church has a village in its 
neighbourhood ; and of these there are, 
between Quebec and Montreal, upwards 
of twenty. In these little villages we see 
the beginnings of, perhaps, large county 
towns; for here the parishes contain as 



130 

much ground as many of the counties do 
in England. 

The quick succession of houses on this 
road arose from the manner in which the 
lands were granted. The whole course of 
the river on both sides, from its mouth to 
within about thirty miles above Montreal, 
was divided by the French king into a cer- 
tain number of seignenries, or lordships, 
which were given to those who had influ- 
ence enough to procure them: but they 
were bound to concede them in certain lots, 
to such of the inhabitants of the country as 
might apply for them ; who were, at the 
same time, bound to settle upon the lands, 
and clear them of the woods ; keep open 
the highways, and perform certain other 
services. The lots ran along the course of 
the river, a certain number of yards in front, 
by so many in depth. In front they were 
very narrow, generally but three square 
acres ; however they run back into the coun- 
try a considerable way, generally about 
eighty square acres. The side of a square 
acre is about 70 yards. 

The first thing to be done was to build 



131 

a house, and open a road to communicate 
with their next neighbours. They then, by 
degrees, cleared and cultivated their land* 
In this way a road was made, and the coun- 
try cleared by the sides of the river, where 
even now the great bulk of the population 
of Canada is found. The first settlers had 
additional reasons for clearing the lands, 
and settling along the course of the river. 
It enabled them to communicate with Que- 
bec easily by means of canoes; and in 
winter, when the heavy snows fall, their 
settling near each other enabled them to 
keep open the communication, by uniting 
their efforts, which is still the case. 

I am told, that, after a fall of snow, one 
man drives his sledge to his next neigh- 
bour (a very difficult matter sometimes), 
who joins him with his cattle in going to 
the next, and so on, till a path is trodden 
sufficiently hard to bear the horses. 

The cultivated land does not extend far 
back in general. When the seigneurs, or 
lords of the manor, had granted, or, as it 
is called here, conceded those lots of their 
seigneurie, or lordship, which fronted the 
river, they made fresh concessions (be- 



132 

hind the first) of the lands which receded 
still further. On the first grants or con- 
cessions there is always left a certain por- 
tion of wood for domestic purposes, and 
for fuel ; this tract of wood forms a boun- 
dary between the first and second conces- 
sion. When the soil happens to be good, 
or the situation to be attended with very 
favourable circumstances, four or *five con- 
cessions have taken place; and they are 
now increasing in the ratio of the po- 
pulation. But tracts of primeval wood are 
still preserved between the different con- 
cessions or grants; from which circum- 
stance the country retains, and will long 
retain, a wooded wild appearance. 

When you meet with rivers which run 
into the St. Lawrence, you see cultivation 
carried up their banks much further. In- 
deed, it is on the banks of such rivers where 
the best land is generally found ; such as 
the river Quelle, river de Sud, river Cham- 
bly, river de Loup, &c. 

The river Quelle has its source in moun- 
tains to the southward ; and it falls into the 
St. Lawrence near one hundred miles be- 
low Quebec. For several miles before it 



133 

joins the great river, it runs through a level 
and very fertile country ; and the tide flows 
up for a considerable way, so as to make 
it navigable for small vessels. This district 
is well cultivated, and very populous. The 
neighbouring parishes of Kamouraska and 
St. Ann's are also populous, and well cul- 
tivated. 

The configuration of this part of the 
country is very curious. In the middle of 
rich plains you see a number of small hills 
covered with wood ; they rise like so many 
rocks in the ocean. On approaching and 
examining them narrowly, you find that 
they are literally bare rocks, of primitive 
granite, full of fissures, in which pine trees 
have taken root, and grown to a consider- 
able size so as to cover the rocks. It is 
probable the great river at some former pe- 
riod covered this part of the country, when 
these hills were so many islands ; and that 
the rich soil which now surrounds them, is 
a deposition from its waters. The proba- 
bility of this conjecture is strengthened by 
the circumstance, that the islands of Ka- 
mouraska, still insulated only at high wa- 



134 

tei\ resemble in every respect the rocky 
hills surrounded by the fertile fields. 

The river de Sud likewise takes its rise 
in the mountains to the southward. It falls 
into the St. Lawrence at St. Thomas, after 
watering a beautiful and rich plain, which 
runs up into the country for many miles. 

This river is one of those which literally 
falls into the river St. Lawrence. This fall 
is not to be compared to some of the others; 
but still, when the river is full, it has a fine 
effect, as the precipice is about twenty feet. 
It affords excellent situations for mills, of 
which the lord of the manor has availed 
himself. 

I rode up the banks of this river for up- 
wards of twenty miles into the parish of 
St. Francis, and was surprised to find 
so much cultivation; and that, too, in a 
better style than I had usually seen. Were 
I to choose a situation as a farmer, it would 
be on the banks of the river Quelle, or de 
Sud. I am inclined to give these situa- 
tions the preference, even to the country on 
the river de Loup, although it is near 200 
miles further up the St. Lawrence, and 



135 

consequently further to the south ; and al- 
though there certainly is an extensive tract 
of very valuable land in that quarter, and 
situated, too, between Quebec and Mon- 
treal. 

The country in the neighbourhood of 
the river Chambly does not yield to the 
others either in fertility or beauty. This 
river has two names ; sometimes it is called 
Chambly, sometimes Sorel; places thus 
named being situated upon it. This river 
is of great value to Canada, because it has 
its source in Lake Champlain, from whence 
great quantities of valuable produce, par- 
ticularly ship-timber and pot-ashes, are 
annually introduced from the United 
States. Indeed, it is the only channel ac- 
knowledged in law for the commerce of the 
States with Lower Canada. Hence, at a 
place called St. Johns, on this river, near 
the lake, we have established a custom- 
house, which takes cognizance of whatever 
passes to and from the United States. 

There is a fort at Chambly, and another 
at St. John's : neither of them are very for- 
midable ; that at Chambly is built of stone 
— that at St. John s of wood. We gene- 



136 

rally have some troops at St. John's, as it 
is the frontier town. The officer who com- 
mands the detachment generally examines 
those who pass either way: it is a kind of 
check on evil-disposed subjects, but a very 
ineffectual one, as experience has proved. 
Those who do not wish to be known, can 
find many ways of getting from the one 
country to the other without going by St. 
John's. 

The Canadians are but poor farmers. — 
Indeed, they are generally so, in more 
senses of the word than one. They are ac- 
cused of indolence, and an aversion to ex- 
periment, or the introduction of any changes 
in their ancient habits and customs, and 
probably with reason : — it is the characte- 
ristic of the peasantry of all countries. — 
The improvements that have taken place 
in Britain have not originated with the pea- 
santry. Commerce has introduced wealth 
among the middle classes of society. Gen- 
tlemen, who farm their own grounds, or 
wealthy farmers, have generally been the 
inventors or promoters of useful improve- 
ments : now, in this country, you have 
very few men of this description. It is true 



137 

the land is the property of those who cul- 
tivate it : but their capitals are generally so 
limited, and their farms so small, that they 
cannot afford to make experiments: and 
when, to this, you add their total want of 
education, and consequent ignorance of 
every thing that does not come within the 
scope of their own limited observation, you 
cease to be surprised that the country should 
be so badly cultivated. 

Some places, however, deserve to be 
mentioned, as exceptions to the general 
rule. I remarked some farms on the rivers 
Ouelle and de Sud that would not disgrace 
Norfolk or Northumberland. 

The Canadian farmer is not sufficiently 
aware of the value of manures, and of ar- 
tificial grasses : nor does he seem to reflect, 
that it is more advantageous to have a small 
farm of good land in high cultivation, than 
a large farm half laboured or neglected.— 
He ploughs the same field, and sows in it 
the same sort of grain, twenty times over; 
he does not think of a routine of crops, nor 
does he renovate the exhausted soil by the 
addition of manures ; the only remedy he 
knows for land so exhausted as to yield 



138 

little or no return, is, to let it lie fallow for 
some time. It is in vain to endeavour to 
convince him of his error: nothing but 
example will produce any good effect.— 
This they begin to have. Some of the far- 
mers are a little more enlightened than the 
generality of them : they have ventured to 
listen to reason, and to reflect upon the 
comparative value of different modes of 
treating their lands; and they begin to 
make innovations in their ancient systems 
of farming. 

One of the principal causes of the po- 
verty, not only of the Canadian farmer, but 
also of all ranks amongst them, is the ex- 
istence of an old French law, by which the 
property of either a father or mother is, on 
the death of either, equally divided amongst 
their children. Nothing seems more con- 
sonant to the clearest principles of justice 
than such a law; yet it assuredly is preju- 
dicial to society. 

In this country (or indeed in any other) 
an estate, with a good house upon it, con- 
venient and appropriate offices, and a good 
stock of cattle, u\-dy be well cultivated, and 
support, creditably, a numerous family.— 



139 

If the head of the family dies, leaving half 
a dozen children, the estate and whole pro- 
pert}' is divided amongst them, which hap- 
pens here every day. Each of the sons 
takes possession of his own lot, builds a 
house, marries, and has a family. The va- 
lue of the whole property is very much les- 
sened. He who gets the lot, with the dwell- 
ing-house and offices, which served for the 
whole estate, gets what is out of all pro- 
portion to the means he now has of em- 
ploying them : he can neither occupy them, 
nor keep them in repair. The other lots 
are generally too small to supply the ex- 
pences of a family, or enable their owners 
to support that state of respectability in the 
country which their father did ; so that, in- 
stead of one respectable and wealthy head 
of a family, who could protect and assist 
the younger branches, giving them a good 
education, and putting them forward in the 
world, you have half a dozen poor dispi- 
rited creatures, who have not energy or 
power to improve either their lands or them- 
selves. Without great industry, and some 
capital, new lands cannot be brought into 



140 

cultivation, nor can those already cleared 
be made very productive. 

The law alluded to might do very well 
in such a country as Canada for a few ge- 
nerations, while the new grants continued 
very large : but the divisions and subdivi- 
sions must, in time, become too minute, 
and be a check on the improvement of the 
country, in an agricultural point of view ; 
and also, as a natural consequence, retard 
the increase of population. 

This division of property is extremely 
prejudicial to the interest not only of the 
landholder but also to that of the merchant, 
shopkeeper, and mechanic. 

When one of the parents dies, an in- 
ventory is made of the property, and each 
child can immediately insist on the share of 
the property the law allows. The French 
law supposes that matrimony is a co-part- 
nership; and that, consequently, on the 
death of .the wife, the children have a right 
to demand from their father the half of his 
property, as heirs to their mother. If the 
wife's relations are not on good terms with 
the father, a thing that sometimes happens, 



141 

they find it no difficult matter to induce the 
children to demand a partage, or division, 
which often occasions the total ruin of the 
father, because he loses credit, equal, at 
least, to his loss of property, and often to 
a greater extent. His powers are dimi- 
nished, and his children still have a claim 
on him for support. 

One effect of this law, and not one of 
the least material, is, that the affection be- 
tween parents and children is likely to be 
destroyed by it : and, in fact, k is remark- 
ed, that in this country the instances of un- 
feeling conduct between parents and chil- 
dren are extremely frequent, and a spirit 
of litigation is excited amongst them. One 
is at a loss to account for such unnatural 
conduct, until an acquaintance with the 
laws and customs of the country gives a 
clue to unravel the mystery. 

The law, making marriage a co-part- 
nership, and creating a communite de bien 9 
is sanctioned by the code of French law, 
called Coutume de Paris, which indeed is 
the text book of the Canadian lawyer; the 
wife being by marriage invested with a 
right to half the husband's property ; and, 



142 

being rendered independent of him, is per- 
haps the remote cause that the fair sex have 
such influence in France ; and in Canada, 
it is well known, that a great deal of con- 
sequence, and even an air of superiority to 
the husband, is assumed by them. In ge- 
neral (if you will excuse a vulgar metaphor), 
the grey mare is the better horse. 

British subjects coming to this country 
are liable to the operation of all these Ca- 
nadian or French laws, in the same man- 
ner that the Canadians themselves are. — 
They are not always aware of this circum- 
stance ; and it has created much disturb- 
ance in families. A man who has made a 
fortune here (a thing by the bye which does 
not very often happen), conceives that he 
ought, as in England, to have the disposal 
of it as he thinks proper. No, says the 
Canadian law, you have a right to one half 
only; and if your wife dies, her children, 
or, in case you have no children, her near- 
est relations may oblige you to make a 
partage, and give them half your proper- 
ty, were it a hundred thousand guineas, 
and they the most worthless wretches in ex- 
istence. Nothing can prevent this but an 



143 
antinuptial contract of marriage, barring 
the communite de bien. 

From Canadian travelling I got on Ca- 
nadian farming : the farming led me to the 
farmers, and these to their laws and cus- 
toms. One cannot well avoid following up 
an association of ideas ; but it occurs to 
me that, having mentioned Montreal, you 
will naturally expect me to give you some 
account of it, which I shall attempt to do 
in my next letter. 



144 



LETTER XII. 

Quebec, 1807. 

Montreal is situated on an island; but 
the island is so large in proportion to the 
water which surrounds it, that you are not 
sensible of its insularity. A branch of the 
river Ottawas, which falls into the St. 
Lawrence above Montreal, takes a north- 
erly direction, and forms the island. This 
branch joins the St. Lawrence at Repen- 
tigni, where the public road from Quebec 
is continued by a ferry of about a mile in 
breadth. A little above the ferry there is 
an island ; on each side of which the chan- 
nel narrows much, and an attempt has 
lately been made to build a bridge across 
— it failed. The masses of ice which came 
down the river when the winter broke up, 
carried the bridge away. The attempt 
however will be renewed upon a different 
plan, and, it is to be hoped, will prove suc- 
cessful, as it would be of great utility to 



145 

the inhabitants of the surrounding coun- 
try, besides very accommodating to tra- 
vellers. 

The island is about thirty miles in length, 
by about ten in breadth. The city of Mon- 
treal is situated near the upper end of it, 
on the south side of the island, at the di- 
stance of about one hundred and eighty 
' miles from Quebec. It lies in latitude 
45-30, being about 70 miles to the south- 
ward of Quebec. They pretend to say, that 
the spring is always earlier than at Quebec 
by near a month, and I believe it is allow- 
ed to be so. One would scarcely think that 
so small a difference of latitude, should pro- 
duce such an effect; it would not be so in 
Europe; there must be some aiding cause 
with which we are not acquainted. 

Montreal was once surrounded by a 
wall, which served to defend it against any 
sudden attack from the Indians; but as 
this is now no longer dreaded, the wall is 
about to be removed, that the town may 
be enlarged with the greater facility. The 
St. Lawrence comes close to the town on 
the south side, where there is a great depth 



146 

of water, but vessels have much difficulty 
to get at it ; for immediately below the 
town there is a current, to stem which a very 
strong breeze is necessary : vessels lie some- 
times for weeks (waiting for a wind) with- 
in a couple of miles of the town, without be- 
ing able to reach it. It is a pity the site of the 
town had not been chosen at the bottom in- 
stead of the top of the current. This cer- 
tainly would have been the case had the ori- 
ginal founders reflected for a moment what 
might be the future destiqy of the place. But 
they were monks, whose minds were di- 
rected to the propagation of their religion, 
more than the advancement of commerce. 
Montreal may be said to be a handsome 
town. Its streets are regular and airy; and 
contain many handsome and commodious 
houses. It is fully as large and as popu- 
lous as Quebec, containing about 10,000 
people, the great mass of whom are Cana- 
dians. Its suburbs, too, are extensive. Ithas 
suffered greatly from fire at different times, 
and the precautions taken to prevent the 
spreading of conflagration exceed even those 
of Quebec; for, in addition to the roofs 



147 
being generally covered with tinned plates, 
the windows have outside shutters, covered 
with plate iron. 

The island of Montreal is wholly in a 
state of cultivation ; and it is surrounded 
by a country generally cultivated. What 
adds much to its consequence is, its being 
situated near the embouchure of several 
rivers, which bring down from the coun- 
tries through which they flow a great deal 
of very valuable produce. 

The river Chambly opens a communica- 
tion with Lake Champlain, whence are re- 
ceived large quantities of wood, potashes, 
salted provisions, wheat, &c. From the 
river UAssomption much valuable pro- 
duce is brought. The river of the Ottawais, 
which forms the northern boundary of the 
island, opens a communication with an im- 
mense extent of country. It is through this 
river that the traders to the northwest ter- 
ritories proceed. They go in birch ca- 
noes many hundred miles up this river, till 
they meet with rivers which discharge in 
Lake Huron, from thence they get into 
Lake Superior, and so on to the Grand 
Portage, where they discharge the goods 



148 

they have taken up, _and are again loaded 
with the furs that have been got in exchange 
for the preceding year's investment. They 
do not return by the same course, but by 
way of Detroit, and through Lakes Erie 
and Ontario. Montreal is at the head of 
the ship-navigation from the ocean, and 
the bateaux and canoe-navigation from 
and to Upper Canada must commence and 
terminate at La Chine near Montreal. From 
these circumstances Montreal bids fair to 
rival Quebec in commerce :— It is more 
convenient as a depot for produce. But as 
Quebec must ever be the great shipping 
place, there, general merchants will find 
many inducements to settle. 

Although the St. Lawrence is navigable 
for large vessels as high up as Montreal, 
yet the navigation above Quebec is at- 
tended with so many inconveniencies, that 
in general it is found more advantageous 
for the vessels to stop at Quebec, and 
for such of their cargoes as come from 
Montreal, to be brought down in river 
craft. 

The influence of the tide is not felt at 
Montreal, nor indeed for many miles be- 



149 
low it. I understand that it has been ob- 
served that the water at the town of Trois 
rivieres, rises from the pressure of the tide 4 
— it is about half way between Quebec and 
Montreal. At any rate, it cannot be sup- 
posed to have any effect above Lake St. 
Pe£ers,which commences about two leagues 
above Trois rivieres. 

This lake is about twenty miles in 
length, and about fifteen miles in breadth. 
It is formed by the waters of the St. Law- 
rence expanding over a level country, 
aided by several considerable rivers, which 
terminate their course here; such as the 
Masquinonge, De Loup, St. Francis, &c. 
The lake is, in general, very shallow, 
and in the ship channel there is not usually 
found more than from eleven to twelve feet 
water, as I have already mentioned : so that 
loaded vessels sometimes take the ground, 
and are under the necessity of being light- 
ened of part of their cargo, which is put 
into river craft, and taken in again, in deep 
water. Vessels of a considerable draught 
of water, instead of taking in their whole 
cargo at Montreal, take in only such part 
of it as they can carry across the Lake, 



150 

and take the remainder below the lake from 
river craft which accompany them. 

The country in the neighbourhood of 
Montreal is very fine. About two miles 
from the town there is a very beautiful hilh 
commonly called the Mountain ; it is about 
700 feet in height from the level of the river. 
A part of this hill is covered with wood, but 
much of it is in a state of cultivation. 
I rode to the top of it, whence you have 
a noble view of the surrounding country, 
bounded by the mountains in the state of 
New York towards the south. 

Between the Mountain and town of 
Montreal, there are a great many very fine 
gardens and orchards, abounding with a 
variety of fruit of the very first quality, and 
no place can be better supplied with vegeta- 
bles than Montreal. Quebec, too, is ex- 
tremely well supplied with vegetables, and 
a regular succession of fruit; but cannot 
vie with Montreal, where both soil and 
climate combine to produce the finest fruit 
I have ever seen. The apples are particu- 
larly good. — The Pomme de Neige, so called 
from its being extremely white, and from 
its having the granulated appearance of 



151 

snow, when broken ; it also dissolves, almost 
entirely, in the mouth like snow : the Fa- 
meuse, Bourassa, and Pomme Gris, are very 
fine apples* Peaches, apricots and plums, 
are found in the greatest perfection ; and, 
with the protection of glass, you have grapes 
as good for the table as any I ever saw in 
Portugal. Currants, raspberries, gooseber- 
ries, and every sort of small fruit are found 
in great abundance. The markets of Mon- 
treal are extremely well supplied with all the 
necessaries and most of the luxuries of the 
table; provisions are particularly plentiful in 
winter, for then their industrious neighbours 
the Yankees bring in great quantities, such 
as fresh fish, bacon, cheese, &c. The 
greater distance of Quebec prevents them 
from receiving this sort of supply from the 
United States ; but their own resources are 
copious. 

The orchards in the neighbourhood of 
Montreal produce apples, which yield as 
fine cyder as ever was drank. 

La Chine is situated about nine miles 
from Montreal. It is a place of considera- 
ble consequence, from the circumstance, 
mentioned before, of its being the place 



152 

where the bateaux (flat-bottomed boats), 
and canal navigation commences for Up- 
per Canada, and for the country in the 
north-west. The first, go by way of Lake 
Ontario and Niagara; the second, go up 
the Outawais river towards Lake Superior. 
They are under the necessity of com- 
mencing their voyage from La Chine in- 
stead of Montreal, because the river St. 
Lawrence is so rapid between Montreal 
and La Chine that loaded canoes cannot 
be forced up. 

I had the pleasure of seeing both an 
arrival and departure of canoes from and 
to the north-west territories, — It certainly is 
a curious spectacle. It is surprising to see 
the great quantity of goods put into one 
of the large birch canoes ; and it is no less 
surprising to think, that with such a load, 
and in such a vessel, they should undertake 
a voyage of some thousand miles. 

The canoe is one of 4he most frail con- 
veyances you can imagine ; — you probably 
have seen the model of one. The length 
of the large ones is about thirty feet, the 
greatest breadth about six feet ; they be" 
come gradually narrow towards each end, 



153 

till they terminate in a point; the bottom 
is rounded, and they have no keel. A 
frame of thin slips of wood is formed, over 
which they fasten sections of the bark of 
the birch tree. These sections are sewed 
together with filaments of the roots of a 
tree, and the seams made water-tight by a 
species of gum, w r hich hardens and adheres 
very firmly. 

The canoe is constructed with much 
ingenuity : it is extremely light, and there- 
fore answers the purposes for which it is 
intended perfectly well. The canoe is the 
common conveyance on the river St. Law- 
rence, and on the lakes : the largest, how- 
ever, are used by the North-west Company, 
for conveying goods into the Indian terri- 
tory, and bringing down furs. These cost 
about 201. 

The North-west Company consists of a 
number of merchants associated for the 
purposes of trading with the Indians in furs. 
They formed the association in the year 
1784; and have carried on the trade with 
great spirit and success. Those who ma- 
nage the concerns of the company reside 
in Montreal : they receive a compensation 



154 

for their trouble, besides their share of the 
profits of the concern. From Montreal 
they send up the country large quantities 
of goods, to be bartered with the Indians 
for furs. For the conveyance of these 
goods, and for bringing back the furs, they 
have employed, generally, about fifty ca- 
noes, and upwards of a thousand people ; 
such as canoe-men (styled voyageurs), 
guides, clerks, &c. The capital employed 
in this trade, in goods alone, is, I have been 
told, upwards of 100,0001. 

The goods are made up in packages of 
about 80lbs. for the convenience of stow- 
ing, and of carrying across these places, 
where the loaded canoe cannot pass. In 
many places they meet with rapids and 
falls, which arrest their progress : in such 
cases, they unload the canoe, and carry 
both it and its cargo to the next canoeable 
water. Six men carry one of the largest 
canoes : its load weighs generally from four 
to five tons; consisting of a number of 
small packages, which they carry very ex- 
peditiously. These Canadian voyageurs 
are hardy, strong fellows : they have been 
known to carry at one time five packages, 



155 

weighing about 80lbs. each, over a portage 
of nine miles. 

The canoes, when they take their de- 
parture from La Chine, are loaded to with- 
in about six inches of the gunwale, or edge 
of the canoe. Instead of oars, they use 
paddles, which they handle with great dex- 
terity. They strike off, singing a song pe- 
culiar to themselves, called the Voyageur 
Song : one man takes the lead, and all the 
others join in a chorus. It is extremely 
pleasing to see people who are toiling 
hard, display such marks of good humour 
and contentment, although they know, 
that for a space of more than 2000 miles 
their exertions must be unremitting, and 
their living very poor; for, in the little space 
allowed in the canoe for provisions, you 
find none of the luxuries, and a very scanty 
supply of the necessaries, of life. The 
song is of great use : they keep time with 
their paddles to its measured cadence, and, 
by uniting their force, increase its effect 
considerably. 

The Canadian is of a lively, gay tem- 
per ; well calculated for the arduous task 



156 

which he has to perform in his capacity of 
voyageur. 

The character of the voyageur resem- 
bles very much that of the British sailor: 
he is equally rough in his manners and ap- 
pearance — equally thoughtless and impro- 
vident: he endures the greatest fatigue 
without complaining, and obeys implicitly 
the orders of the person who has charge of 
the canoe (his bourgeois, as he is called), 
without ever pretending to question or 
doubt their propriety : he paddles and 
sings, and eats and sleeps, regardless of 
to-morrow. Like the jolly tar, he no sooner 
receives his wages than he commences a 
life of extravagance and debauchery, The 
sailor knows that money at sea can be of 
no use to him, and he hastens to rid him- 
self of his gold. The voyageur, in like manner, 
knows that money is of no use in the inte- 
rior of America ; and he, too, hastens to get 
quit of his dollars. Although they act in 
different situations, yet their minds are ope- 
rated on in the same way : hence arises a 
resemblance of character. 

From Montreal, Upper Canada is sup- 



157 

plied with a great variety of merchandize, 
which is conveyed up the river St. Lawrence 
in bateaux, or flat-bottomed boats, carry- 
ing from four to five tons. They are about 
forty feet in length, by six feet in breadth. 
The return cargo is flour, potash, wheat, 
peltries, &c. They commence their voy- 
age at Lachine, go as high as Kingston, 
situated near the commencement of Lake 
Ontario, where the goods are put into large 
vessels, to be carried up to Niagara. The 
bateaux take in a return cargo, and get 
into Lachine after ten or twelve days ab- 
sence. The distance from Lachine to 
Kingston is about 200 miles. 

The government have stores at La- 
chine for the reception of a variety of dif- 
ferent sorts of goods, of which they think 
proper to make presents to the Indians. 

You probably expect that I should give 
you some account of the Indians. Doubt- 
less I have seen hundreds of them ; but 
those were such miserable-looking, disgust- 
ing creatures, that I do not undertake the 
task of describing them with any degree of 
pleasure. 

Indians of different nations, and from 



158 

different parts of America connected with 
Canada, come annually to Quebec, to 
Montreal, and to other military posts, to 
receive the presents which the government 
annually distribute amongst them. Those 
who come to Quebec encamp at a little 
distance from the town, on the banks of 
the St. Lawrence ; and I took the earliest 
opportunity to go and see them, gratifying 
a curiosity so natural to Europeans. 

Conceive to yourself a parcel of men, 
women, and children, huddled together 
under a wigwam^ formed of pieces of wood, 
seven or eight feet in length, the ends 
fixed in the ground, and meeting at 
the top, form a kind of sloping frame, which 
is covered with the bark of the birch-tree, 
to keep out the inclemencies of the wea- 
ther—a very poor covering indeed. They 
are half naked, wholly covered with dirt, 
and oily paints, and swarming with vermin ; 
diminutive, and weakly in their persons and 
appearance; and having a physiognomy, 
in which you look in vain for traces of intel- 
ligence. I do not mean to say that they are 
without the reasoning faculty, but they cer- 
tainly appear excessively stupid. I under- 



159 

stand that their numbers decrease every year, 
— if they were wholly extinct, I do not think 
that human nature would be a great sufferer 
by it. 

If you wish to see a very pretty story 
about the dignity of the Indian, you have 
only to consult Rayjtal, who says a great 
deal more for them than dame na- 
ture warrants. Their stupid apathy and 
indifference about the objects of civilized 
society is called noble independence of 
spirit. To the same source is traced their 
adopting a wandering life, with all its pri- 
vations and hardships, in preference to a 
fixed abode, and the culture of the ground. 
Frequent attempts have been made to do- 
mesticate them, by taking them when 
young children into European families, 
and treating them with every attention. It 
is surprising, however, that there is no in- 
stance of succeeding in the attempt, or of 
their learning any occupation and be- 
coming members of civilized society. 

Two Indians were in England not long 
since. They had been employed as com- 
mon voyagears in the northwest trade, and 
had learned a little English. — They found 
means to get to England by way of New 



160 

York, and represented themselves to be 
Indian princes, come to make a represen- 
tation to government. They were treated 
in the handsomest manner, — lodged in a 
hotel in London, and all their expences 
paid. They returned here lately, genteelly 
dressed, a la mode Angloise, but in a very 
short time they betook themselves to the 
woods, adopting the Indian dress and ha- 
bits; one would naturally have thought, 
that after visiting London, and having ex- 
perienced the comforts of civilized life, 
they would not have so soon assumed their 
ancient habits ; perhaps, there is some- 
thing in the nature of the Indian, which 
tells him that a forest is his proper home, 
and hunting his fellow tenants of the wood, 
his proper employment. 

I may be thought too severe on the In- 
dians, by those who have been on the 
banks of the rivers Missouri and Missis- 
sippi, or in the north-west territories be- 
yond the Lakes. There, Indians are to be 
seen in their natural, unsophisticated state. 
Those that I have seen, have occasionally 
mixt with Europeans. They are extremely 
fond of strong spirits, in which both sexes 



161 
indulge to excess, and are then guilty of the 
most dreadful cruelties, maiming and mur- 
dering their friends and relations in the 
most savage manner. 

Amongst the nations in the interior, I 
am informed there are found individuals 
who shew great powers of ratiocination ; 
possess many virtues ; and who want no- 
thing but education to be equal to Euro- 
peans. Whether the generality of them 
ought to be placed on that footing or not, 
appears problematical. To form a just 
estimate of their genius and mental powers, 
more facts are wanting; a few instances 
of individual pre-eminence are not enough. 
Great allowance must, no doubt, be made 
for the circumstance that their situation in 
life calls for the display of only a particur 
lar kind of talents ; and to those naturally 
will the force of their mental powers be di- 
rected. Of their bravery in war, there are 
many proofs ; as also of their ingenuity and 
dexterity in the chace. The whok j powers 
of their mind have been directed to these 
objects. Letters have not been introduced 
amongst them ; and reading promotes re- 
flection. It gives to the mind a new kind 

M 



] 

of existence ; it strengthens and enlarges- 
the power of its operations. 

Whether nature, has put the American 
Indian on the same footing, in every respect, 
with the European, as to mental powers, 
is not to be ascertained in the present day : 
we want facts from which to judge. — 
Among all other animals, we see certain 
classes or species of the same genus superior 
one to the other. The Author of Nature 
has willed it so. It is possible that the Au- 
thor of Nature may also have made varie- 
ties in the human race, differing from each 
other in their powers both of body and 
mind ; and that the American Indian, the 
African, and the European, are illustra- 
tions of the fact. 

The commerce of the river St. Lawrence 
differs as much from that of the European 
countries, as the appearance of Canada 
does from that of the countries in Europe. 
From what I have said in my different com- 
munications to you on these subjects, as 
well as on the political state of the coun- 
try, I trust I have enabled you to form a 
general idea of them. Many subjects of 
importance require yet to be illustrated. 



163 

I must, at greater length, explain to you 
the nature and value of the exports and im- 
ports of the country, its productions, ma- 
nufactures, &c. in order to shew you its 
value as a British colony. — These matters 
will form the subject of my next commu- 
nication > 



164 



LETTER XIII. 



Quebec, December, 180JT, 

The navigation of the river St. Lawrence 
is now closed — not a vessel to be seem- 
like the migrating birds, they have gone in 
search of a milder climate ; immense 
masses of ice occupy their place, and ride 
triumphant in the river. Canada has put 
on her winter clothing, she is wrapped in 
snow, and the rivers are bound up in ice. 
We have all assumed our winter dresses ; 
furs and flannels are substituted for nan- 
keens arid muslins. The wharfs and quays, 
lately so moving a scene, are now deserted; 
business is at a stand. The merchant, and 
the variety of people employed by him, 
are now idle; amusements and festivity 
have assumed the place of the more serious 
and important occupations of life. The 
amusements of this country, particularly 
the winter amusements, have a distinctive 
character ; you would look in vain for any 



165 

thing of the same kind, in the temperate 
climes of Europe. I shall be better able to 
give you a description of these matters, and 
of the curious phenomena which the Ca- 
nadian winter months offer to our observa- 
tion, when the winter is finished. In the 
mean time, give me leave to send you the 
result of my enquiries relative to the pro- 
ductions and commerce of Canada. 

The population of Canada at the time 
it came into the possession of the British in 
17^9-60, amounted to 73600 souls, as ap- 
pears from General Murray's report to the 
British government, immediately after the 
conquest. At that time the extensive coun- 
try now called Upper Canada was not inha- 
bited by any Europeans. At present the two 
Canadas contain at least 300,000 inhabit- 
ants; of these, Lower Canada contains about 
two-thirds. The descendants of the Old Ca- 
nadians constitute at least nine-tenths of the 
population of Lower Canada. They pro- 
fess the Roman Catholic religion, and are 
allowed the use of the Old Canadian, or 
rather French laws, agreeably to the prin- 
ciples laid down in the Coutume de Paris, 
as 1 have mentioned to you in a former 
letter. 



166 

In Upper Canada, the population 
amounts to about 100,000. These are all 
British, at least they speak English, 
and are governed entirely by the laws of 
England, both in civil and criminal mat- 
ters ; and in questions relative to real pro* 
perty, as well as in questions relative to 
personal property, The lands are held by 
the English tenures, and the courts of jus- 
tice are regulated agreeably to the forms 
of the respective courts in England. Nia* 
gara was formerly the capital of Upper 
Canada, but about twelve years ago York 
was laid out for a town, and the seat of 
government transferred to it, and it is al- 
ready of considerable size. 

From the preceding statement of the 
population, it is evident that the increase 
in Lower Canada for these last fifty years 
has been very great ; it has, in fact, nearly 
tripled. In Upper Canada the increase 
has been very rapid, as several years elaps- 
ed after the conquest before any part of 
Upper Canada was settled or cultivated. 
Thirty years ago, Upper Canada was nearly 
a continued forest ;— that a population of 
100,000 should in that space of time accu- 
mulate, is a proof that the country ancl 



167 
climate are propitious. Indeed, it is ge- 
nerally allowed, that the climate of Upper 
Canada and its soil are superior to those 
of Lower Canada. 

The country is in general more level 
and low than the neighbourhood of Que- 
bec and Montreal. The waters of the im- 
mense lakes have perhaps narrowed their 
beds, and left the surrounding country dry, 
at a later period than has been the case in 
Lower Canada, where hills and mountains 
and rapid rivers abound, and where the 
nutritious parts of the soil may have been 
carried off. The climate of Upper Canada 
is temperate, and friendly to vegetation. 
The warmth of the air will facilitate the 
decomposition of all vegetable and animal 
matter, which may he in a state of decay, 
and in the course of time an accumulation 
of soil will take place. When the forests 
are cleared awa}^, and the plough and har- 
row have performed their functions, the 
same causes which promoted the growth of 
the large hardy oak, the statety pine, and 
the matted thicket, will raise fine crops of 
wheat, and luxuriant artificial grasses. 

In all new countries, such as the Cana- 
das, population must increase much faster 



168 

than in old countries, because the produc- 
tion of food for man is much easier ; and 
as their situation precludes the possibility 
of their indulging in what are called the 
luxuries of life, their principal occupation 
will naturally be the production of food. 
They will clear their lands of wood, — they 
will sow and reap; next year more will be 
cleared, sown, and reaped, until the grain, 
&c. produced exceed the wants of the fa- 
mily. The surplus becomes an object of 
merchandize. Their disposable capital in- 
creases; and it is employed either in in. 
creasing production by cultivating more 
land, or in ameliorating what is already 
produced. Mills are erected; wheat con- 
verted into flour; flour into biscuit; cat. 
tie are fattened and prepared for market. 
This accumulation of the real wealth of a 
country is the natural cause of an increase 
of population. 

Besides the operation of this cause, the 
Canadas owe much of their increase of po- 
pulation /to emigrations from the United 
States of America, and from Europe. 
These emigrations, to a greater or less ex- 
tent, take place every year. The emigrants 
generally prefer settling in Upper, rather 



169 
than in Lower Canada, as well those from 
the United States, as those from Europe. 
Tnere are many reasons for the preference 
given to Upper Canada. The soil and cli- 
mate are better ; and lands are cheaper, and 
more easily procured : the tenures are bet- 
ter understood, and better liked than the 
French tenures in Lower Canada. The 
great mass of the people speak English, 
and have English habits, neither of which 
are to be found in Lower Canada. In 
case of a dispute with your neighbour, the 
cause is tried in an English court of justice, 
and in a language you understand ; which 
is not the case in Lower Canada. In short, 
these causes will continue to draw to Up- 
per Canada a great augmentation to the 
natural increase of the population and 
wealth — whilst the Canadian French popu- 
lation will only increase in the ordinary 
rauo. 

In proportion to the increase of popu- 
lation, is the demand for manufactures, and 
for articles of foreign importation. The n- 
crease of industry and wealth gives a greater 
fund to pay tor the productions of other 
countries. That this has been the case in 



170 

Canada, is clearly proved by the gradual 
increase of her foreign trade. 

Great Britain is at a considerable regu- 
lar expence in supporting the garrisons and 
military establishment of Canada, — be- 
sides the value of the presents given annu- 
ally to the Indians, and the amount of the 
salaries of a variety of people employed in 
what is called the Indian department, 
consisting of superintendants, inspectors, 
agents, &c. The goods given to the Indians 
annually are of considerable value, and 
consist of clothes, muskets, powder and 
ball, trinkets, hardware, &c. — Yet Canada 
is well deserving the pains and cost neces- 
sary to preserve it. She consumes our ma- 
nufactures to a considerable amount, as I 
shall shew you presently ; she gives em- 
ployment annually to about 200 sail of 
merchantmen, and about fourteen hundred 
seamen ; she furnishes Newfoundland with 
supplies of flour, bread, &c. — and she sup- 
plies our West India islands with a consi- 
derable quantity of lumber, staves, punch- 
eon-packs, hoops, horses, and salt-fish of 
a variety of kinds. She supplies Great 
Britain with wheat occasionally ; and, what 



171 

is likely to be of great importance, the fo- 
rests of Canada will be found equal to 
supplying the dockyards with masts and 
yards for the largest men of war in the 
navy, and, indeed, for vessels of all sorts, 
to almost any amount ; besides a great 
abundance of oak, and other ship-timber 
of a variety of species. Our coopers, too, 
may be supplied with staves to any amount, 
and of as good quality as usually come from 
Hamburgh, Stettin, and Dantzig. 

This cannot fail to be of great conse- 
quence, when we happen to be excluded 
from the Russian dominions, and from the 
Baltic ports, which the capricious con- 
duct of the Emperor of Russia gives too 
much reason to fear may sometimes be thq 
case. 

The quantity of wheat, flour, and bis- 
cuit, annually exported from Canada is 
very considerable : but the crops are pre- 
carious, and the quantity as yet not suffi- 
cient to ensure to the mother country a re- 
gular supply. 

The following statement of exports will 
shew what a variety of articles Canada pro- 
duces, I have taken the average of jive 
years, ending 1805, 



172 



Wheat 

Flour - ■» - - - 
Biscuit - - - - - 

Pease - - - - - 

Oats ------ 

Barley - * - - - 
Indian corn - - - - 

Beef 

Ditto 

Pork 

Cod fish 

Oak 

Pine ------ 

Staves - - - - - 

Stave ends, &c - - 
Pine boards and planks 
Oak plank - - - - 

Handspikes - - - - 

Oars ------ 

Masts - - - - - 

Spars - - - - - 

West India hoops - - 
Shingles - - - - - 

Madeira pipe packs - 
Puncheon ditto - - 
Tierce ditto - - - 
Essence Spruce - - 
Ditto- - - - - - 

Pot and pearl ashes - 
Linseed - - - - - 

Seal skins - - - - 

Castorum - - - - 

Horses - - - - - 

Sarsaparilla.- ,- - - 
Tallow - - - - - 

Butter - - - - - 

Soap and candles - - 
Salmon - - - - e 



Currency. 

s.d. £. s, &. 

345499 bushels - - - 6 6 112287 3 6 

19822 barrels - - - - 42 6 42123 17 6 

21777 quintal?, or cwt. - 25— 27221 5 

2266 bushels .-.56 623 3 

2366 ditto - - - - 2— 236 12 

4b01 ditto - - - - 3— 643 3 

922 ditto - - - - 4 6 207 9 

1-45 barrels- - - -60— 3735 O 

429 tierces - - - - 90— 1930 10 

1286 barrels - - - 90— 5807 6 

1704 quintals - - - 17 6 1491 

3534 pieces - - - - 40— 7068 

mO* ditto - - - - 2>5~- 2084 

840124 at 251. perl 20O - - 17502 11 8 

9205 at 101. per ditto - - 3 16 6 

80014 at 60s. per hundred - 2400 8 4 

796 at 20s. each - - - 796 

12537 at 7s 6d per dozen - 391 15 7 

544 at 6s a pair - - - 81 12 O 

134 at 201. each - - - 2680 

144 - 10— 72 

91290 at 61. per thousand - T " 547 15 

31262 at 10s per thousand - 15 13 

• 1908 at 15s - \ - - - 1431 

627 ------ 12 6 396 17 

536 ------ 7 6 201 

39 boxes - - - 10— 19 10 

34 hogsheads at 251. - - 850 

22084 cwt. ■- - - - 47 6 52449 10 

5615 bushels - . - 5 6 1560 12 6 

3i26 36 547 10 

2753 lbs 8— 1101 4 

100 at 201 200O 

16300 lbs. - - - - 2— 1650 

20 barrels - - - 50— 50 O 

199 firkins - - -80— 796 O 

1576 boxes - - - 60— 4728 

610 tierces - - 65— 1982 10 O 

Carried forward 299692 19 7 



173 

Currency. 

£. ,. d. 

Brought forward s. d. 299692 19 7 

Salmon 197 barrels - - 45— 443 5 

Herrings - - - - 200 ditto - - 20— 200 

Bass, aspeciesoffish,? ^ di * „ 3Q \ 1Q5 Q Q 

aboutsizeot a salmon ^ J 

Onions ----- 20 ditto - - 25— 25 

Apples 300 ditto - - 25— 375 

Cranberries- - - - 10 barrels - - 15— 11 5 

Snuff 10 kegs - - 100— 50 

Stoves 200 <- 120— 1200 O 

Hops- ----- 30 pockets - - 100— 150 

Balsam ----- 1780 lbs. - - — 6d 44 10 

Capillaire - - - - 100 lbs. - 1— 5 

Beer 100 hogsheads - 100— 500 

Ox and cow hides - - 1000 - - -15— 750 

Horns 2000 per dozen - - 3— 24 19 

Hemp 23cwt. - - 35— 40 5 

Expences on 180 vessels, pilotage, port charges, &c. at? ognon O 
2001. each v- - - - - - - £ 

There are annually built at Quebec a certain number of 

vessels on British account, and on British capital; 

say about 1500 tons, at 101. per ton, exclusive of 

sails and rigging ----- 15000 " 

Furs and Peltries exported from Canada^r 

Britain, on an average of three years 

ending 1805. 

£. s. d. 

Martin - - - - 23170 at 4s each 4634 O 

Beaver - - - - 99076 average? nn<> .„ , n „ 
lilb. each, at 14s per lb. - '- \ 9247 ° 18 8 

Otter ----- 17649 at 17s 6d 33091 17 6 

Minks - - - - 11687 at 2s 6d 1460 17 6 

Fishers - - - - 5657 at 8s 6d 2404 4 6 

Foxes 8636 at 12s 5181 12 

Bear and cub - - 20074 at 40s 40148 

Deer 223290 at 5s 55822 10 

Racoon - - - - 151710 at 2s 15171 O ' 

Musk-wash - - - 79650 at Is 2d 4646 5 

Cat, cased and open 12221 at 7s 6d 4582 7 6 

Carried forward 259613 12 8 354617 3 7 



174 



Bfought forward 
■tfrolf - - i - - 6425 at 
Elk - 1032 at 

Woolvereen - - - 12^0 at 



Hare, rabbit, ermin, } 
and squirrel - - S 



3062 at 





£. s. 


a. 


£. s. A.* 


•d 


259613 12 


8 


354617 3 7 


8s 


2570 







10s 


516 







5s 


312 10 







6d 


I 76 11 









"*- 


263088 13 t 



The expence of the military establishment in Canada, 
drawn for by the paymaster general, and paymas- 
ters of regiments, amounts annually to about - - 1500OO 



Total exports to Britain and British establishments 767705 1 7 3 

All exports are to be considered as a remittance in pay- 
ment of imports • and as the military expences are 
paid by England for articles consumed by British 
soldiers, and have nearly the effect of exportation, 
the above sum of 1500001. is classed under this head. 
During last year there were cleared out at the Customhouse of Que- 
bec 193 vessels, measuring 33996 tons, navigated by 1601 men. 

The imports of Canadayr<?w Britain and British establish- 
ments are not so easily ascertained as the exports, 
because no accaunt is kept at the Customhouse of 
goods which do not pay duty. 

The goods which pay duty were on an average of five 
years as follows 



Madeira - • 


- 15,455 gal. 


10s 


C s. 

7727 10 


d, 



Port wine - 


43,471 — 


8s 


17428 




Teneriffe 


- 2,400 — 


Ss 


600 




Spanish, red 
French wine 


- 46,720 '— 

- 52,776 — 


3s 4d 
2s 6d 


7786 13 
6597 


4 


Brandy - 
Rum - - - 

Molasses 


- 29,051 — 

T4783 puns. 
517,912 — -J 188 hhds. 
£ 69 tierces 

- 42,052 — 


69 

4s 64 
3s 


8715 6 
> 116530 4 
6307 IS 




Salt - - - 


- 89,11 1'minots 


ls8d 


7425 17 


10 


Loaf sugar - 


- 139,324 lbs. 


Is 4d 


9288 5 


. 4 


Muscovado - 


- 135,790 — ■ 


7|d 


4243 7 


6 


Coffee - - 


- 46,748 — 


Is 7d 


3700 17 


6 


Tobacco - - 


- 84,500 — manufactured 


Is 


4225 




Ditto - - - 


- 71,000 — leaf 


9d 


2662 10 




Cards- - - 


- 17,350 — pack* 


Is. 


86710 





0> Mm 

204105 17 6 



175 

It is to be presumed that the dry goods 
imported, for which no duties are paid, and 
of which no account is kept at the custom- 
house, amount to the difference between 
the above sum and the value of the ex- 
ports, viz. about 563,600/. — Indeed, it is 
not improbable that the imports exceed 
the exports and remittances, for it is very 
well known, that many of the goods im- 
ported are never paid for, the importers 
becoming insolvent. 

Besides the preceding imports, goods 
of a variety of kinds are annually sent to 
Canada (as I have formerly mentioned) 
by the British government as a present to 
the Indians. When these goods are de- 
livered to the proper officer, bills are drawn 
for the amount in favour of the shipper; 
but, as the province gives nothing in return 
for these goods, the bills drawn in pay- 
ment cannot be considered as a remittance 
from Canada, for which the province ought 
to take credit. The Indians give nothing 
ill return for which they are not amply 
paid. In fact, it is a present, and like b1\ 
Other presents must go to the debit of profit 
and loss at home. Did the Indians live a 
settled life, and employ themselves in agri- 



176 

culture, and in increasing the useful pro* 
perty of the province, the presents might 
be considered as a salary, and, like all 
other salaries and army pay, would be 
compensated to Britain by labour or ser- 
vices, and the province might take credit 
for the amount, because in the accomplish- 
ment of their duty, their salary is spent in 
the purchase of various articles of food, 
which if not consumed in that way might 
increase the exportations of the province: 
but this is not the case. The Indian kills 
his game, eats the carcass, and sells the 
skin to the merchant, who pa} 7 s him for it 
as much as if he had received no present 
from government. 

That government should continue an- 
nually to distribute presents to the Indians, 
is a measure, the expediency of which is 
very much doubted. They are given with 
the view of conciliating the affections of the 
Indian tribes, and securing them in our in- 
terests. It is thought that their own in- 
terest will teach them that we are their best 
friends, so long as we take their furs and 
peltries, and give more for them than they 
can get elsewhere; when this ceases to be 
the case, the presents will not have" great 



177 
effect. Indeed, I am well assured that the 
presents are, even now, almost thrown away, 
from the circumstance of their being given 
to the most unworthy part of the Indians, 
— to fellows who live in the neighbourhood 
of Detroit and Michilimakinack, and whom 
these presents keep in a state of idleness 
and dissipation ; while the real hunters, 
the active Indians who furnish the furs, and 
are truly useful as well as formidable, get 
little or nothing. They stand no chance 
with the Detroit or Mickilimakinack In- 
dians, or those in the neighbourhood of 
these places, whose knowledge of, and con- 
nexions with, the commanders and men in 
power, secure to them a large share of 
what the British government send to this 
country. The Micmac and other Indians 
that come to receive their presents at 
Quebec and Montreal, are too insignificant 
to be feared, or to be taken much into con- 
sideration. 

It certainly would be improper, nay 
highly unjust, to stop all at once the giving 
presents ; but I find it is the general opinion 
that the thing might be done gradually; 
and that it would not only be a consider- 



178 

able saving to Britain, but really, upon the 
whole, an advantage to the Indians not to 
receive presents. It would be better 
that they should spend their time in hunt- 
ing, than in coming to our military posts 
and destroying themselves with spirits, 
which they get in exchange from British 
subjects, for the very presents they had just 
received from government; so that they 
very often return as completely divested 
of their presents, as when they came out 
of their native forests. I have heard that 
some years ago very great abuses were 
committed by those concerned in this de- 
partment, who are said to have inveigled 
the Indians to part with their presents for 
liquors, and that the goods were after- 
wards appropriated to their own use, where- 
by large fortunes were made. 

An important part of the commerce of 
Canada is carried on with the United 
States of America, the consideration of 
which 1 shall reserve for my next letter* 



179 



LETTER XIV. 

Quebec, December, 1807. 

I have just returned from taking a walk, 
though the weather is bitter cold. You will 
be surprised that any one could shew their 
nose to it, when I shall have told you how 
cold it is; on that subject you shall hear 
from me. by and by: in the mean time let 
me continue my mercantile disquisitions. 
I have to lay before you the commercial 
connexions of Canada with the United 
States. 

Besides the trade which Canada carries 
on with Britain and her colonies, a very 
considerable trade is carried on with the 
American states. The law acknowledges 
but one place in Lower Canada, through 
which goods can be introduced from the 
United States, as I mentioned in a for- 
mer letter. It is by the river Cham- 
bly, which connects Lake Champlain 
with the St. Lawrence. At St. John's, on 
this river, there is a custom-house for the 



180 

purpose of taking cognizance ot such 
goods as are brought in from the States. 

The imports by way of St. John's in 
the year 1806 were as follow. 



Souchong tea 

Hyson skin 

Bohea 

Hyson 

Ditto, single 

Coffee 

Chocolate 

Foreign spirits 

Leaf tobacco 

Manufactured, ditto 

Indigo 

Butter 

Cheese 

Codfish 

Fresh pork 

Salted ditto 

Indian corn 

Shoes - - , 

Sole leather 

Boots 

Saddles 

Linseed oil 

Pig iron - 

Hams 

Hat bodies 

Nankeen 

Horses 

Mahogany 

Ditto, boards 

Pine plank 



152 libs. 

84105 

20 

750 

22246 

235 

9880 

607 gallons 
14611 lbs. 
30646 
928 
4039 
31714 
11100 
67943 

631 barrels 
5873 bushels 
7356 pairs 
83880 lbs. 
1 307 pairs 

65 
528 gallons 
32134 lbs. 
1200 lbs. 
2950 
3230 pieces 

15 
1500 feet 
1000 feet 



3 
3 
2 
5 
3 
1 
1 



6 




70 
2 
5 
1 
25 
40 
6 


2 
5 
130 
2 
1 



503700 feet per 1000 feet 60 



Do. boards & plank 431000 per ditto 

Oak (square) 

Shingles 

Staves, pipe 

Ditto, hogsheads 

Potash 

Muscovado sugar 

Loaf ditto 

M apple ditto 

Honey - r 

Molasses • 

Snuff 

Tallow 

Hogslard 



50 

188150 per square foot 1 

2000Q per 1000 - 10 

55800 - L. 30 

248000 per ditto 7 10 

3669 bar. 11007 ewt. 40 

215 lbs. - 

35 lbs. 1 

500 lbs. 

899 lbs. 1 

45 gallons 3 

134 lbs. O 

130 lbs. - 

109O lbs. - 



d. 
9 
3 

6 
6 
6 
4 

6 
7 

8 
6 
6 
4 

9 

4 
O 


3 
71 

' 2 





2 


o 






7 

o 

6 


9 
9 
9 



/. 

285 

13667 

2 

206 

3893 

17 

658 

151 

365 

893 

278 

134 

792 

277 

1132 

2208 

807 

1839 

5592 

1633 

130 

158 

401 

37 

295 

807 

97 

150 

58 

1511 

1077 

9407 

10 

1674 

1860 

22014 

6 

1 

12 

44 

6 

5 

4 

40 



9 
3 





5 

1 

12 6 

13 4 

15 O 

5 6 

16 10 
8 

12 8 

17 
10 

7 8 
10 
10 9 





15 

O 

8 

13 6 
10 

O 

10 

10 o 

o 

6 8 

2 O 
10 
10 





o a 



5 5 

15 

10 

19 

15 O 

6 

17 6 

17 6 



Carried forward L 774650 5 4 



181 



Beans 

Pease 

Oats 

Wheat 

Flour « 

Rosin 

Tar 

Hops 

Cotton wool 

Pimento 

Gunpowder 

Stockings 



20 bushels 
16 ditto 
96 ditto 

326 ditto 
19 barrels 

141 

18 

J 0670 lbs. 

153 lbs. 

60 lbs. 

25 lbs. 
378 per pair 



j. d. /. s, d. 

Brought forward 74650 5 4 

3 - 3 

3 4 - 2 13 4 

14 - 6 8 

5 6 - 89 13 

40 O - 38 

40 - 285 

20 - 18 

9 - 400 2 6 

18 - 13 3 4 

10 - 3 

2 - 2 10 

2 - 37 16 

L. 75546 11 6 



Besides the preceding articles, there are 
a variety of others introduced from the 
United States. Some by way of St. 
John's, some by other channels, besides 
what is sent into Upper Canada. Where 
there is so extensive a line of boundary as 
that which separates Canada from the 
United States, it is not to be supposed that 
strict attention will be paid to the law 
making St. John's the only legal channel 
for goods intoLowerCanada. Smuggling to 
a great extent is carried on. Of the articles 
not enumerated, I am well informed that 
there are at least 20,000 pieces of white 
cotton, at about lis. 6d. a piece — a large 
quantity of blue cotton — silk handkerchiefs 
— East India checks and stripes — East 
India silks— French cambricks and crapes. 



182 

besides groceries and a variety of other ar- 
ticles. I am assured that these and other 
non-enumerated articles do not amount 
annually to less than 100,000/.; — and, 
therefore, the whole imports from the Unit- 
ed States into Canada must amount an- 
nually to 175,546/. lis. 6d. 

The exports from Canada by way of St. 
John's to the United States are correctly 
known. In the year 1806 they were as 
follows. 









i. d. 




£. '- 


d, 


Beaver skins 


291 15 lbs. 




18 9 


. 


27395 6 ' 


3 


Bear 


3112 


each 30 


. 


4668 





Racoon 


21776 


. 


2 


- 


2176 14 





Deer 


901 


- 


3 9 


- 


168 18 


9 


Musk rat 


128837 


_ 


1 4 


• 


8589 2 


8 


Musk 


1818 


_ 


2 6 


_ 


227 5 





Buffalo 


39 


_ 


20 


- 


39 


O 


Martin 


28379 


. 


4 


- 


5675 16 





Fox 


600 


. 


6 


. 


180 





Fishers 


800 


- 


5 


- 


200 





Wolf 


5532 


_ 


7 6 


- 


20T4 





Cat 


503 


- 


7 6 


- 


188 12 


6 


Otter 


10427 


• 


20 


_ 


10427 





Calf 


967 


. 


3 4 


- 


161 3 


4 


Ox hides, raw 597 


each 20 


. 


597 





Salt 


9091 bushels 


2 6 


• 


1136 7 


6 


Fish 


1097 barrels 


30 


- 


1645 10 





Articles not ] 


particularised 

Amount of exports 


from Canada 




IO36 13 


2 




66,586 8 


2 




Amount of ditto from United States 




175,546 Jl 


6 




Balance against Canada 




L, 


108,960 3 


4 



This balance the Americans carry out 
of Canada in cash. There are a great 
variety of coins in circulation in Canada : — 



183 

we have the Spanish, French, American, 
and British, gold and silver coins. The 
Spanish dollar is in most general use, and 
these the Americans prefer, because they 
generally bear a premium in New York 
and Boston, -to the amount sometimes of 
2 per cent. The Americans want them for 
their China trade. 

There does not appear any way of pre- 
venting this drain of the circulating me- 
dium while the trade remains on its pre- 
sent footing : nor do I think it is of much 
consequence. The old notion that it was 
ruin to a country to allow its specie to be 
taken from it, is now very generally ex- 
ploded. Wherever money is wanted, and 
there is something to be given for it, there 
it will flow while there is such a thing in 
existence as commerce. In the present 
case, if the Americans by carrying cash 
out of Canada create a scarcity, both the 
government and the merchants will find a 
difficulty in procuring it. The government 
want large sums for paying the troops, and 
the expences of the civil department — the 
, merchants want money to pay for the pro- 
duce they purchase for exportation. They 



184 

draw bills on England, which they sell 
to the holders of cash. Now, when the 
holders of cash find that money is much 
wanted, they will give it to those who for 
100/. bill on England will take the smallest 
amount of cash from them. Payments are 
made in the currency of the country. 
Sterling is ll^th per cent, more valu- 
able — this is the par of exchange. When 
there are many drawers, the number of bills 
for sale, lowers their value; and the demand 
for cash raises its value; so that the holders 
of cash can get sterling bills under par, 
that is, they get a bill for 100/. sterling for 
less currency than 111.1/. — Suppose five per 
cent under par — five pounds are deducted 
from one hundred pounds, and currency at 
par is given corresponding to 95/. sterling, 
by which there is evidently a gain to the 
holder of cash, and a loss to the drawer of 
bills — 95/. sterling being equal to 105/. lis, 
1^-d. currency, which he gets instead of 
111/. 2s. 2%d. the par. It follows that the 
holders of cash wish to lower the exchange, 
and the drawers to raise it. If I want a 
bill on England, to remit, the less currency 
I give for it the better for me; and if I 



185 

wish to dispose of a bill, the more currency 
I get for it the better for me. 

The s Americans by taking cash out of 
the country, increase the value of what re- 
mains, and the exchange falls. It has 
sometimes fallen so low, that sterling has 
been given for currency, whereby drawers 
of bills suffered a loss of 1 1~ per cent. 

In New York and Boston, the exchange 
on Britain is in general high, that is to say, 
bills on London 'bear a premium, some- 
times as much as eight per cent. For a 
100/. bill, you get currency corresponding 
to 1 08/. Cash is more plentiful than bills. 
— In Canada it is quite the reverse ; and 
when the exchange is, in consequence, low, 
it becomes extremely advantageous for the 
holders of cash, in Boston and New York, 
to send it to Canada for the purchasing of 
bills (which they get at a discount), rather 
than purchase bills at home, which are sold 
at a premium. Thus the cash carried out 
of Canada by one set of men, is brought 
back again by another set. In conse- 
quence of which, the exchange in Canada 
approaches par, and the circulating me- 
dium regains its level. 



186 

Government, as well as individuals, who 
have occasion to draw bills in Canada, suf- 
fer very heavy losses by the discount on 
bills. I cannot help thinking that it would 
be a very easy matter for government to 
prevent any great loss by exchange. All 
they have to do is to keep themselves ad- 
vised of the state of exchange in New- 
York, and draw at three or four per cent, 
more favourable for the holders of cash than 
the course at New-York offers. There can 
be no doubt that the cash would immedi- 
ately come into Canada. Instead of go- 
vernment bills in Canada being at a discount 
of seven or eight per cent, they would rare- 
ly be below par ; for in New- York bills in 
general bear a premium sufficiently high to 
induce the holders of cash to carry it to Ca- 
nada for government bills, at par, or very 
little below it. The expence of bringing 
in cash from New- York, to Quebec or Mon- 
treal, is not above three to three and a half 
per cent, insurance included. The risks to 
be insured against are, thieves, and the 
danger of loss in crossing lakes and rivers*, 

* Very large sums are brought in from the States. 
In summer the conveyance by land is in a carriage, and 



187 

In casting one's eye over the articles 
which Canada receives from America, it is 
evident that almost every one of them 
might be produced in Canada, or imported 
from Britain and her colonies, if the trade 
were under proper regulations. 

By the treaty of amity, navigation, and 
commerce, with the United States, in 1794, 
it is provided in the third article, " that all 
" goods and merchandize, whose importa- 
" tion into his said Majesty's territories in 
" America shall not be entirely prohibited, 
" may freely, for the purposes of commerce, 
" be carried into the same, in the manner 
" aforesaid, by the citizens of the United 
" States ; and such goods and merchandize 
" shall he subject to no higher or other duties 
" than would be payable by his Majesty's 
" subjects on the, importation of the same 

on the lake, and crossing the St. Lawrence a canoe is 
used. In winter, the land carriage is a sleigh, and the 
same conveyance is used on the lake, and on the river, 
as soon as the ice is strong enough. From 20 to 30,0001. 
have been brought in at one time by one man, openly 
enough to convince the people that it was money ; yet I 
have never heard that any robbery has been committed ; 
which is saying a great deal for the honesty of both the 
Americans and Canadians. 



188 

"from Europe into the said territories: and 
" in like manner all goods and merchan- 
" dize, whose importation into the United 
" States shall not be wholly prohibited, 
" may freely, for the purposes of commerce, 
" be carried into the same, in the manner 
" aforesaid, by his Majesty's Subjects ; and 
" such goods and merchandize shall be 
" subject to no higher or other duties than 
" would be payable by the citizens of the 
" United States on the importation of the 
" same in American vessels into the At- 
" lantic ports of the said States/' 

This clause carries with it an appearance 
of reciprocal advantage to Great Britain and 
America; but there is in fact no reciprocity 
in it. Why adopt the duties laid on by us 
on goods imported by the river St. Law- 
rence, as the measure of reciprocal charge 
on the introduction of goods from America 
by the line of boundary ? If the British 
government, or provincial legislature, think 
proper to allow their own merchants to im- 
port certain articles by the river St. Law- 
rence, free of duty, are the Americans to 
say, you must allow us to import the same 
articles on the same terms by way of Lake 



,189 
Champlain ; — they certainly ought not to 
be allowed to say so, nor to do so. Co- 
gent reasons may exist for the one, and not 
for the other. 

The object to be attended to, — the jus- 
tice of the case, is reciprocity of duties on 
the goods which pass from the one country 
to the other. It may suit the policy of 
Britain that no duties be charged on cer- 
tain articles shipped by her merchants for 
Canada, and at the same time be very 
contrary to her interest or wishes, that the 
Americans also, should be allowed to send 
the same articles to Canada, free of duty. 
Whatever duties are charged on goods com- 
ing from one side of the line, may be 
charged on goods coming from the other, 
if thought adviseable : here the reciprocity 
would be perfect. 

The Americans lay a duty of about 
15 per cent, on almost every thing they 
get from Canada, while they annually 
send into Canada goods to near three times 
the amount, pn which no duties are paid. 

Formerly, Canada was supplied with 
teas, cotton goods, silk, and all other East 
India articles by the British merchant, but 



190 

at present the large quantities of East In- 
dia goods used in Canada, are supplied ex- 
clusively by the Americans. In the article 
of tea alone, it will be seen by a reference 
to the list, that the amount is near 20,0001. 
a year, which is a trifle even, compared to 
the sums annually paid for cotton goods. 

By the 13th article of the treaty of 
commerce, 1794, " His Majesty consents 
" that the vessels belonging to the citizens 
" of the United States of America shall be 
i€ admitted and hospitably received in all 
" the sea-ports and harbours of the British 
" territories in the East Indies ; and that 
" the citizens of the said United States 
" may freely carry on a trade between the 
" said territories, and the said United 
" States in all articles of which the im- 
" portation or exportation respectively to 
" or from the said territories shall not be 
" entirely prohibited." 

In consequence of this permission, the 
Americans have gone largely into the East 
India trade; and, from a variety of advan- 
tages attached to a neutral flag, they have 
been able (particularly since the com- 
mencement of the French revolution) to 



191 
import India goods into America, and trans- 
port them into Canada, so much cheaper 
than can be done by the British merchants, 
that the latter are entirely cut out of the 
trade. Not only the East India company 
are sufferers by it, but also the British mer- 
cantile and shipping interests. Add to this, 
that the money carried out of Canada in 
payment of these goods, creates a scarcity 
of cash, which lowers the rate of exchange, 
and occasions thereby an increase of price 
on every article of produce exported from 
Canada; and this increase falls on the per- 
son for whose account the produce is export- 
ed. Canadian produce is increased in price 
to the European consumer; and, in the 
English market, is less able to compete with 
the same sort of produce brought from Ame- 
rica and elsewhere; and all this arises in con- 
sequence of the article in the treaty before 
quoted, allowing the Americans to carry 
into Canada, East India articles, groceries, 
&c. dutyfree. I, therefore, humbly conceive, 
that if the advantage of the mercantile and 
shipping interests of Britain is consulted, 
the above article ought to be abolished, or 
rather so modified that the British merchant 



192 

might send his goods into market on the 
same terms that the Americans do. 

To strike effectually at the root of the 
evil, I believe the best way would be to 
prohibit the Americans from going to In^- 
dia. If the goods are once in the United 
States, it will be next to impossible to 
prevent their being carried into Canada, 
their line of boundary being so extensive. 
I cannot pretend to say what advantages 
result to our East India possessions, from the 
Americans having liberty to go there; but, 
it strikes me, as being very much against 
the mercantile and shipping interests of 
Britain. 

The Americans for some years past, 
have supplied, not only Canada, but like- 
wise the West India islands, and the Spa- 
nish main, with a variety of Asiatic pro- 
duce, brought from thence in American 
bottoms, which, it is presumed, must have 
been brought in British bottoms, had 
the trade not been thrown open to Ame- 
rica. I do not pretend, however, to be suf- 
ficiently informed on this matter, to em- 
brace the question in all its different 
bearings. 



193 

I understand that a new treaty is now 
on the stocks between Britain and Ameri- 
ca. If the first ten articles of the treaty of 
1?94 are still declared permanent, parti- 
cularly the third article, and this, after 
maturely considering its operation in Ca- 
nada, and weighing the information which 
the merchants connected with Canada are 
ready and able to give, we may presume 
that something more is taken into consi- 
deration by our legislators than we are 
aware of, otherwise they would not do that 
which seems to every one who knows the 
Canada trade, to be contrary to the best 
interests of Britain. — I say of Britain, for 
I hold it to be a thing certain that the foot- 
ing on which the trade at present stands, is 
the best that can be for Canada ; for it as- 
suredly is advantageous to Canada, to re- 
ceive tea, groceries, and East India goods 
in great abundance, and at a cheaper rate 
than she can from England. But, it is dis- 
advantageous to Britain both in a com- 
mercial and political point of view, that 
her colonies should draw their supplies 
from any other quarter than from Britain ; 
it would in time render them independent 



194 

of Britain, and more attached to the coun- 
try from which they receive their supplies 
than to the mother country. This is likely 
to be the case with Canada (and perhaps 
the West Indies too), and well deserves the 
serious consideration of government. The 
more supplies received from America, — the 
more encouragement that is given to that 
trade, the less dependence will Canada 
have on Britain, and the less inclined they 
will be, to resist any attempts the Ameri- 
cans may make to get possession of the 
country. The interests of the colonies, and 
of the mother country, are sometimes at 
variance, as in the present instance, and 
when that is the case, I would without he- 
sitation, sacrifice the former to the latter, 
and frame treaties accordingly. 

1 should think that it would be much 
better that all mercantile regulations in 
treaties, should have a limited duration; 
the situation and circumstances of nations 
undergo great change, and it seems proper 
that the mercantile regulations in their 
treaties should be capable of receiving 
such changes as circumstances may shew 
to be necessary. 



195 

If experience demonstrates that treaties 
are founded on principles of justice and of 
reciprocal advantage, they can easily be 
continued from time to time ; but if they 
should not be founded in justice, and are 
without reciprocity (such as the third ar- 
ticle of the treaty of 1794), and yet be de- 
clared permanent, the good faith and ho- 
nour of the nation aggrieved, may induce 
them to adhere to the treaty; but it will be 
with a bad grace, and create bad blood, they 
will be glad to embrace any opportunity 
of coming to a rupture, in order to bring 
about a new treaty. This would be avoid- 
ed if there were a limitation to the opera- 
tion of the oppressive articles ; they would 
be endured with patience, until the time 
should arrive when a new arrangement 
could be made. 

Although the first ten articles of the 
American treaty are declared permanent 
it does not follow, that, like the laws of the 
Medes and Persians, they are unchange- 
able: the act contains several articles, 
which, in their nature, were not permanent, 
hence it became necessary to use some ap- 
pellation for those articles which had an 



196 

unlimited duration, and the term perma~ 
nent was adopted, not probably meaning 
that they should never be touched, but 
merely to distinguish them from the others: 
they were to be permanent till changed by 
mutual consent. 

Our North American colonists look 
homewards just now with all that anxiety 
which men naturally shew, when their best 
interests are under discussion; the Ameri- 
cans ^re able negociators, and their local 
knowledge of this country, and the great 
attention they pay to the most minute 
circumstances tending to their advantage 
in a commercial point of view, require on 
the part of our ministry, much circumspec- 
tion, and all the aid they can get from 
men of commercial habits, who have 
studied the interests of the colonies on the 
spot, and whose inferences are drawn from 
the evidence of facts. 



1.97 



LETTER XV. 



Quebec, 1807. 

Having gone at some length into the 
political connection between Great Bri- 
tain and America, as far as relates to our 
transatlantic possessions, permit me to 
resume the consideration of the produc- 
tions and exports of Canada, to Britain 
and elsewhere. 

It will be observed on examining the 
list of Canadian exports, that they already 
consist of almost every necessary of life; 
and, were the Canadians as active and in- 
dustrious as their neighbours in the United 
States, the amount of exports would very 
rapidly and greatly increase ; as it is, they 
will gradually increase as population in- 
creases. 

Wheat is the most considerable article 
of exportation from Canada; upwards of 
one million bushels have been exported in 



198 

one year; not half that quantity however 
was exported on an average of five years 
ending in 1605. 

Canada wheat is of an excellent qua- 
lity: it is thought superior to the Baltic 
wheat, being harder, and yielding more 
flour in proportion to the quantity. The 
bushel usually weighs 60lbs. and upwards. 
It is what is called spring wheat; the 
seed is put into the ground in May, and the 
harvest is finished in the beginning of Sep- 
tember. 

The farmers are very negligent in pre- 
venting the growth of weeds, so that the 
wheat when threshed is very foul; it is in 
general purchased from the fanners, by 
the country shopkeepers, who are usually 
corn dealers, and that too from necessity, 
as it is frequently the only way by which 
they can be reimbursed for the goods they 
have soli during the year, These shop- 
k* t peis, and corn dealers are applied to by 
the merchants in Quebec and Montreal 
when grain is wanted. 

Vi at is sold by a French measure 
called a minot, winch is to the Winchester 
bushel as 106*765 is to 100,000, being 



199 
-somewhat more than 8^-per cwt. larger than 
the Winchester bushel. 

Wheat is generally "purchased by the 
merchant from the country shopkeeper in 
the months of February, March, and April. 
It is brought to Quebec and Montreal as 
aoon as the ice breaks up, and the naviga- 
tion opens in the river St. Lawrence. From 
its being so very foul, it is seldom or never 
in a proper condition to be shipped, until 
it is cleaned. For that purpose it under- 
goes the operation of being once or twice 
put through what is cal ed the cribbles y 
the expence of which, as well as the ex- 
pence of bringing it from the place of its 
growth, is paid by the merchant exporter. 
It is brought by the river in small vessels, 
on which no assurance is ever effected, al- 
though there is considerable risk of loss, or 
at least of damage : this risk the merchant 
takes upon himself. When the grain is 
shipped, an account is made of all ex- 
-pences, and a consideration added for risk 
of river craft : all of which, with first cost, 
fixes the price on board. A commission of 
5 per cent, is charged for shipping, and 



200 

the amount is drawn for immediately, iri 
bills at sixty days sight. 

The principal objection to the importa- 
tion of Canada wheat into England, is the 
price : 6s. 6d. was the average price for five 
years, ending 1805* and it is frequently 
shipped as high as 7s. 6d. per bushel. 
Even at that price, it generally pays very 
well in Spain and Portugal. In the west 
of Scotland, particularly at Greenock, it 
brings generally a better price than in the 
London market, and sells there even higher 
than English wheat. In that part of the 
country, the seasons are so wet and back- 
ward, that the wheat seldom comes to ma- 
turity, at least it does not acquire a suffi- 
cient degree of hardness to grind well, and 
become good and useful flour. The Ca- 
nada wheat, being remarkably hard and 
dry, is mixed with it. It then grinds well, 
and the flour is fit for the bakenouse* 
Freight to Britain is usually about 2s> per 
bushel. 

It seldom happens that the number of 
bushels shipped at Quebec holds out at the 
port of delivery, which arises from the 



201 
Axianrtei* of measuring in Canada. A half 
bushel is used in general; and they are 
extremely dexterous in measuring. The 
grain is put in and out of the bushel so 
quickly, that it has not time to feel its 
own weight, as it were, and settle down. 
I knew an instance of a man having mea- 
sured, and put into the sacks in which it 
was carried on board, 6400 half bushels in 
the space of eleven hours and a half, which 
is near ten times in a minute. 

The next articles of consequence ih the 
list of exports, are flour and biscuit. The 
average amount of flour for five years, end- 
ing 1805, was 19,822 barrels at 42s. 6d. 
per barrel, 42,123/. 17$. 6d. The flour 
exported from the river St. Lawrence comes 
principally from Upper Canada, where the 
wheat is of a superior quality to that of 
Lower Canada, and yields very fine flour. 
They have many inducements for sending 
flour rather than wheat. It has a long in- 
land navigation on the lakes, and down 
the St. Lawrence to Montreal and Quebec. 
Jt is brought down in bateaux (flat-bot- 
tomed boats), of from four to five tons bur- 
then, navigated with oars, poles, and sails ; 



202 

and in scows. From the length of the in- 
land navigation it becomes an object of 
importance to compress the bulk, and con- 
centrate the value of the article, in order 
to save freight ; and besides, when flour is 
well packed, it is not so subject to receive 
damage as wheat would be : it resists the 
water better. The country, too, is bene- 
fited by the wages of labour in manufac- 
turing the article, and consequently aug- 
menting its value. It gives employment 
to a number of people in the grinding, 
making casks, &c. A public inspector at 
Montreal and at Quebec examines all 
flour previous to its being shipped, to see 
that it is of a proper merchantable quality. 

A scow is a vessel with four sides, an 
oblong square, in length forty to fifty feet, 
in breadth thirty to forty, and from four to 
five feet deep, flat-bottomed. The sides 
are not perpendicular; they are inclined 
outwards, for the purpose of carrying a 
greater weight. 

The scows are built on the lakes in Up- 
per Canada. A large one will carry 500 
barrels of flour, and costs about 50/. They 
are built for the tanners, lor the purpose 



203 
of transporting to Montreal flour, potash, 
&c. and are navigated by long oars or 
sweeps, and poles. They have a mast and 
sail, too, which they can use in the lakes 
when the wind is favourable : on these oc- 
casions they steer with an oar ; and they 
have anchors and cables to come to with 
in the lakes, when the wind blows strong 
against them. They are made of pine, 
planked, and calked outside, like a ship, 
but have no deck. When they have dis- 
charged their cargo they are of no further 
use, except for breaking up for domestic 
purposes, and they are sold generally for a 
very few dollars. 

The advantage to the country is carried 
still further when the flour is manufactur- 
ed into biscuit, and exported in that shape. 
There was exported from Canada, on an 
average of five years, 21,777 hundred 
weight at 25s. — 27,221/. 5s. The Canada 
biscuit is of an excellent quality, and ge- 
nerally much cheaper than the British bis- 
cuit. Considerable supplies of it are sent 
to Newfoundland and to Halifax, for the 
use of our navy, and other shipping in that 
quarter. 



204 

The other species of grain, such as 
pease, barley, oats, and Indian corn, are 
produced in considerable quantities; but 
the surplus produce is not sufficient to 
render them of importance as objects of 
foreign trade* 

It is only within these very few years 
that barley has been known in this coun- 
try. It was introduced by a gentleman 
who erected a distillery near Quebec. He 
imported the seed from England, and after 
much" pains taken to overcome the anti- 
pathy which the Canadian habitant has 
to experiments, he succeeded in prevailing 
upon them to give it a trial. He gave 
them the seed gratis, and bound himself to 
pay them a certain sum for each acre they 
should sow, whatever the produce might be. 
In this way he overcame their prejudices ; 
and barley is now very common in all parts 
of the country. 

The barley of Canada makes very good 
malt; and several breweries have been 
erected for making ale, of which enough is 
now made to supply the demands of the 
country, besides considerable quantities 
exported to the West Indies, &c. 



205 

The Canadian soil and climate are 
friendly to the growth of hops, of which 
enough is raised to supply the wants of 
the brewers. They grow very luxuriantly, 
and the flowers are very large ; larger in- 
deed than I ever remember to have seen in 
Kent. They are likely to become an ar- 
ticle of consequence for exportation. Small 
quantities have already been sent to Eng- 
land. 

Government have lately taken much 
pains to introduce the cultivation of hemp 
into Canada. The soil and climate are very 
well calculated for it; and some attempts 
that have been made, have completely suc- 
ceeded. Government have lately sent out 
agents, who have had lands assigned to 
them for the cultivation of hemp, and for 
the purpose of shewing the people how to 
cultivate it ; as example in aid of precept 
is most likely to be efficient. They have 
great hopes of being able to succeed in 
their endeavours to any extent that may be 
wanted. Time, of course, is necessary ; for 
it is no easy matter to induce a poor igno- 
rant farmer to embark in a species of agri- 
culture with which he is unacquainted : he 



206 

naturally prefers certainty to hope; he 
knows he can both raise and sell wheat. 
However, as government have agreed to 
pay the farmer a price certain per ton, and 
as this price is more than w r hat he would 
receive for the wheat produced on the land 
that produced the hemp, it is probable the 
quantity raised in the country in general, 
will increase very fast. 

There is one thing that it is imagined 
will retard the business, which is, that ac- 
cording to the existing laws hemp pays no 
iythes to the clergy, who have great influ- 
ence with their parishioners, and who, it is 
feared, may use that influence in counter- 
acting the views of government. It would 
perhaps be a proper thing to make hemp 
a tytheable article, and thereby give the 
clergy an interest in promoting its cultiva- 
tion equal to what they have in other 
tilings which the farmer produces. Wheat 
and all other grain pays one-twenty-sixth 
part in lieu of tythes. 

It certainly is an object of great import- 
ance to Britain to draw from this country 
a constant supply of hemp. This would 
make her jnore independent of Russia, 



207 
from whose despotic, capricious govern- 
ment our trade is subject to great risks 
and losses, and even to a total stoppage. 
The importation of hemp from Russia has 
annually amounted to no less than 30,000 
tons for the general consumption of the 
country, and for the use of the royal navy. 
No part of the productions of Canada 
is likely to become of more importance to 
Britain than the produce of the forests, 
which consists of an abundance of differ- 
ent kinds of wood, fit for the purposes of 
the dockyard, as well as for the use of 
the house carpenter, and cabinet-maker. 
The dock-yard can be supplied with masts 
of the largest size. Some have been 
brought down to Quebec, 120 feet in 
length, and about four feet in diameter. 
It is the white pine which arrives at this 
immense size, and may be stiled the mo* 
narch of the Canadian forest. 

There is a great varietyof fine oak timber. 
The U pper Canada oak is considered next to 
the British in quality, and superior to what 
comes from the Baltic. It is of a more open 
graia than the British oak, is softer, and 



208 

consequently does not last so long. There 
isno crooked oak timber in Canada, which 
is a disadvantage in ship-building, as there 
is a want of the timber necessary for 
knees. I cannot well inform you why 
there is no crooked oak in Canada. Per- 
haps it arises from the trees growing so 
close to each other in the forest, that they 
have not room to spread out their branches 
like the British oak ; or perhaps the soil 
being very moist and rich, constantly co- 
vered with vegetable matter, the growth is 
too rapid to admit of all those twistings 
and elbows which seem so natural to the 
British oak. Or perhaps the Canada oak 
may be somewhat of a different species 
from the British. Whatever may be the 
cause, the fact is undoubted. The want 
of crooked timber for knees is remedied in 
some measure by the substitution of pine 
roots, which, the carpenters say, answer 
perfectly well, and are to be had in abund- 
ance. 

The length and straightness of the Ca^ 
nada, oak fits it for planking for ships, and 
for every other purpose for which oak 



209 
plank may be wanted. Staves for casks of 
all sorts are made to great advantage from 
the Canada oak. 

Of the various kinds of wood fit for the 
purposes of the cabinet-maker and car- 
penter, with which the forests of Canada 
abound, I may mention maple, elm, ash, 
birch, hiccory, cherry-tree, and red cedar : 
of some of these there are different species. 
The curled maple and bird's-eye maple 
make beautiful furniture. The cherry-tree 
also is highly esteemed ; the others are very 
useful for domestic purposes, and making 
implements of husbandry, &c. 

No part of the Canada lumber is likely 
to become of more value than Staves, and 
the quantity might be increased to almost 
any extent, were the population of Canada 
more considerable. Staves, even at pre- 
sent, form a leading article of exportation. 
They are becoming daily better known, 
and better liked in Britain, as well as in 
the wine countries, particularly in Portugal 
and Madeira. 

Staves are sold at so much per long 
thousand of 1200 standard staves. The 
standard stave is 5J feet long, and \i inch 

p 



210 

-thick, and about 5 inches broad. The 
price increases one-fifth for every half inch 
increase in the thickness. Staves' one inch 
thick are charged two-thirds of the price of 
standard. Staves 44 feet long, are reckon- 
ed three for two standard. 34- and 24 feet 
long, are reckoned two for one. The 2f are 
reckoned the same as Sf, because they 
are generally broader, being for heading. 

The Canada staves are generally ship- 
ped in the rough. They are split, not 
sawed ; and of course, are what is called 
featherbed, that is, thicker at one side than 
at the other ; but they are always measured 
at the thinnest side. 

A full, well-built vessel ought to take 
1200 staves for every ten tons register. 
And it is generally found that 1200 stand- 
ard staves, when carefully and closely 
packed, take about 15 tons measurement. 
Freight is generally from 45/. to 47/. per 
1200. 

Staves of any dimensions may be got 
by giving previous notice. Contracts may 
be entered into with those who prepare 
them, and who will cut them to any given 
size. Some have lately been shipped, 5 



211 

inches thick; and it is probable that staves 
of that thickness will answer extremely 
well wherever labour is cheaper than in 
Canada, or where ingenuity or machinery 
can abridge the labour of splitting or saw- 
ing. The average price on board has been 
considered about 331. per 1200 standard. 

An act of the provincial parliament has 
lately been passed for the proper regulation 
of the lumber trade of Canada. Much be- 
nefit is expected to arise from this law, as 
none but proper merchantable wood will 
be allowed to be exported as merchant- 
able, and it will have an appropriate mark 
to distinguish it from what is not mer- 
chantable. 

All the timber shipped at Quebec is 
floated down the river in what is termed 
rafts : a raft is the general name ; but they 
vary greatly in their construction, accord- 
ing to the kind of wood of which they are 
composed. The large masts are laid close 
to each other, and have pieces of oak fast- 
ened to them, in order to keep them toge- 
ther, w r hich is not an easy matter in some 
of the rapids. 

The rafts of oak timber and staves are 



212 

of a different form. A great number of 
large pieces of pine are strongly fastened 
together with wooden pins, making a kind 
of frame in the form of a gridiron. To this 
frame the pieces of oak are fastened, and 
thereby buoyed up ; for they are so heavy, 
they would not float of themselves. These 
floats or rafts are so well put together, that 
they resist the strong concussions in com- 
ing down the rapids ; and it is remarkable 
there is not a piece of iron about them : 
their only fastenings are wooden pins, and 
the twigs and young shoots of trees, of a 
tough and pliable nature. The cables even, 
which they use as a fastening to prevent 
their being carried up the river by the flow- 
ing tide, are nothing but young shoots of 
trees (chiefly hiccory, I believe), fastened 
and twisted together. By these floats not 
only the oak, both squared and in plank, 
is brought down, but also staves : and they 
are of vast dimensions. They are managed 
and directed by the force of large oars or 
sweeps, from 30 to 40 feet long, having 
their fulcrum near the edge of the raft. The 
rowers are stationed at the proper distance 
to give effect to their exertions on the lever i 



213 
and, it must beallowed, a great power Is 
wanted to give a direction to such an un- 
wieldy mass. Fifteen to twenty people are 
employed on some of them : a house is 
erected on them, inw r hich the people sleep 
and eat ; for they have cooking utensils, a 
fire-place, and beds, — such as they are. 
After the wood is sold, the float and house 
are also disposed of; and, like the scow, ge- 
nerally for very little money. 

Some very handsome ships are annually 
built at Quebec and Montreal : they are 
contracted for by the carpenters at about 
101. currency per ton, exclusive of sails and 
rigging, which are imported from Britain, 
as well as every article of copper that may 
be necessary. Most of the irou work may 
be found of Canada manufacture. This 
business is of immense advantage to Que- 
bec ^nd Montreal, as it gives employment, 
summer and winter, to -a great many car- 
penters, and other tradesmen and labour- 
ers. There is not a less sum than 20,0001. 
annually circulated in Quebec and Mon- 
treal in- the business of ship-building; and 
as it is a winter as well as a summer em- 



214 

ployment, they have a resource in it when 
all others fail them. 

Pot and pearl ashes are shipped at Que- 
bec and Montreal to a considerable extent, 
as will appear by a reference to the list of 
exports: but it is an article for which Ca- 
nada is indebted almost entirely to Ame- 
rica. The ashes are usually made by the 
Americans, and brought to Montreal, where 
there is a public warehouse for their recep- 
tion, and where the quality is ascertained 
by an officer appointed for that purpose. — 
They are afterwards sold, and either ship- 
ped at Montreal, or sent down in river 
craft to Quebec, where they are put on 
board for England. Such as come to Que-> 
bee, without going to Montreal, are exa- 
mined by the public inspector at Quebec, 
and their quality ascertained. 

Although the most considerable quan-? 
tity of the pot and pearl ashes comes from 
the United States, yet the whole does not 
come from thence. The Canadians makei 
a small quantity for exportation. It is a 
custom amongst the people in Canada, to 
preserve the ashes of the wood burnt in 



215 

their stoves : part they make use of them- 
selves in the manufacture of the soap ne- 
cessary for their own families (almost 
every family in Canada makes the soap 
used in their own houses) : the remainder 
they sell to potash manufacturers, who col- 
lect it through the country, and pay in ge- 
neral about tenpence per bushel. 

It is a pity the Canadians do not turn 
their attention to the manufacturing of pot- 
ash; there is no want of wood, nor indeed 
of any thing but industry and exertion on 
their part ; for there can be no doubt that 
their time is not fully occupied in the ma- 
nagement of their farms ; and were they 
more industrious, it would make up in some 
measure for the want of population. 

The best ashes are made from beech, 
elm, and some other hard woods. None of 
the pine genus, nor any of the soft woods, 
answer the purpose. 

The process of making potash is very 
simple : the w r ood ashes are collected as 
free from extraneous matter as possible: 
they are put into wooden pots of a consi- 
derable size, with small apertures in the bot- 
tom: the ashes are saturated with water, 



216 

which filters through these apertures, car- 
rying with it the salts of the ashes. More 
water is added, until the ashes are entirely 
deprived of their salts. — The water now 
holds in solution a very strong vegetable 
alkali : by boiling it in large kettles, the 
water is evaporated, and the salts remain : 
they now receive the appellation of potash. 
The potash is sometimes calcined to deprive 
it of all extraneous colouring matter : it be- 
comes extremely white, and is denominated 
pearl-ash. 

Potash sells in Canada usually for from 
401. to 501. per ton. The pearl-ash is, in 
general, somewhat higher. 

The fisheries of the St. Lawrence have 
never been followed up with spirit : an es- 
tablishment has been formed on the La- 
brador shore, from whence considerable 
quantities of salmon, cod-fish, mackarel, 
and shad, are annually brought to Quebec, 
and either used in the country, or re-ship- 
ped for the West Indies. A species of her- 
ring, and a fish about the size of a salmon, 
called bass, are caught, salted, and sent 
to the West India market, in considerable 
quantities. 



217 

A seal and porpoise fishery has been 
carried on in several parts of the St. Law- 
rence, and was formerly very productive 
both in skins and oil ; at present little ad- 
vantage is derived from it. These articles 
are likewise brought from the Kings posts. 

The fur trade of Canada, in point of 
value, and of importance to Great Britain, 
is Jiearly equal to any other branch of the 
Canada trade. The duty paid in England 
on furs and skins, imported from Canada, 
amounted per annum on an average of four 
years, ending 1806, to 22,0531. The lum- 
ber trade is of more real value to Britain, 
because timber is of more real use in so- 
ciety. The corn trade is, perhaps, more va- 
luable to the Canadians than the fur trade ; 
but the trade in furs employs a great num- 
ber of people, and a large capital. 

The North-zpest Company, who have 
entirely monopolized to themselves the fur 
trade, are a self-created company, not ac- 
knowledged by government, but who have 
united their capital and exertions for 
their mutual benefit. As they have at pre- 
sent no competitors in the north-west ter- 
ritory, they have the trade in their own 
power in a great measure: but they are 



218 

obliged to pay a considerable price for the 
skins, because the Indians have been so 
long accustomed to the trade^ that they 
have long ago learned that a beaver skin is 
worth more than a two-penny knife, or a 
sixpenny trinket. 

The business in the north-west territory 
is managed by young men employed by the 
company ; who go into the Indian country, 
and establish trading posts in different quar- 
ters, some of them an immense distance 
beyond Lake Superior ; — so far, that it re- 
quires more than one summer to send the 
goods to them, and get returns. These 
young men remain in these distant regions 
for several years, subject to many hard- 
ships and privations : they live almost en- 
tirely on the produce of their hunting ; 
they never see, for years together, either 
bread or salt: and, what is rather surpris- 
ing, although animal food is their only re- 
source, they enjoy very good health. It is 
a very solitary mode of living ; for there are 
not more than two or three Englishmen at 
the same post. They have under their com- 
mand several Canadians, who act as canoe- 
men, hunters, &c. 

These pursuits, the collecting the furs 



219 
ana bringing them down to Montreal, seem 
congenial to the common Canadian ; he ap- ~ 
pears better pleased to be employed in 
hunting and fishings with all their attendant 
dangers, than to earn his bread quietly by 
cultivating tire soil. Many of these voya- 
geurs save their wages, return to their own 
parish, and employ themselves id clearing 
and cultivating the land; many of them, 
too, it must be allowed, acquire habits of 
dissipation, which they never afterwards 
are able to correct. 

Another fur company has lately been 
established under the title of the South-west 
Company; from the furs in which they trade 
being brought from the south-west parts of 
America, in the neighbourhood of the Mis- 
sissippi, Missouri, and Ohio. This trade 
had been carried on by a variety of indi- 
viduals, who, by interfering in each others 
concerns, did themselves a great deal of 
harm, which is now avoided by their be- 
ing united. They are sometimes called the 
Michilimackinack Company, because they 
have an establishment in that quarter. 

The profit in thS fur trade ought to 
be very great, for the capitaLemployed is 
a long time in returning. The goods to be 



220 

bartered with the Indians are shipped from 
England in the spring, and arrive in Ca- 
nada in the course of the summer. They 
are shipped at twelve months' credit. These 
goods are sorted during the summer and 
winter, and sent up the country the follow- 
ing spring; and it is perhaps six months 
before they get to their destination ; some- 
times, it is more than twelve months, when 
the posts are at a great distance ; they are 
bartered for furs, which take as long a 
time to come to Montreal; and by the 
time the furs get to London and are sold, 
and in cash, three years at least have elaps- 
ed. So that the profits ought to be at 
least triple the profits of a trade where 
the capital is turned once a year. 

Besides the furs shipped for the British 
market, the United States have been in 
the habit of taking off large quantities of 
furs from Montreal, as will appear from the 
list of exports to America. These pur- 
chases form the principal counterpoise to 
the large importations from the States. 

An attempt has lately been made to esta- 
blish ^ fur company in*New York, to trade 
to the south-west ; whether they will succeed 
or not, time only can shew. Those who 



221 
know the trade for some time past, think 
that it must be a losing concern to any 
man, or body of men who may undertake 
it; reasoning on the principle, that if the 
Makinack company (who do the business 
on the least expence possible), with difficulty 
get a living profit by it, what must be the 
situation of a Charter Company, acting by 
governors, managers, and agents, who al- 
ways do their business at a greater expence 
than individuals ; and whose exertions, in 
general, are only commensurate to their 
interest in the concern. It is a matter that 
I cannot determine ; but, I dare say the sa- 
vages, the catchers of wild beasts, will, in the 
course of a very few years, settle thepoint. 

A variety of articles for domestic pur- 
poses, which used formerly to be imported 
from Britain, are now manufactured in this 
country. 

Of the manufactures of Canada, the 
iron forges take the lead. There are 
two works of this kind in the province ; 
one near Three Rivers, called the forges of 
St. Maurice; the other at Batiscam, near 
St. Ann's, on the road from Quebec to 
Montreal. The forges of St. Maurice were 
established by the French king many years 



222 

ago, and his Britannic majesty at the con- 
quest succeeded to his rights. The works 
are let on lease to a mercantile house in 
Quebec, who carry on the business with 
spirit and success. 

The chief articles manufactured at these 
forges, are stoves, bar-iron, and cooking 
utensils. Besides what is necessary for the 
use of Canada, there is a considerable ex- 
portation of cast-iron articles, particularly 
of stoves. 

Formerly almost all the candles and 
soap used in Canada were imported ; at 
present, enough is made for the use of the 
country, and a considerable exportation 
besides. 

There was a regular importation of hats 
formerly; at present, however, they are 
made here in sufficient quantity for the use 
of the country. But there is still a con- 
siderable importation of hat-bodies, which 
are put into form and finished here.' It 
might be thought that as the beaver fur 
goes from Canada, it would be cheaper 
here than in England ; but this is not the 
case. Indeed, furs of all sorts can be pur- 
chased in London at a cheaper rate, and 
of a very superior appearance to any that 



223 

can be got in Canada. The English fur- 
rier knows his trade better, and the extent 
of his transactions enables him to take a 
smaller profit than the Canadian. 

Leather has hitherto been, and indeed 
continues to be imported in large quanti- 
ties, principally from the United States* 
But this probably will not long be the case, 
because tan works are becoming more com- 
mon, and, at Quebec, are on a pretty large 
scale. 

Canada has long been famous for the 
manufacture of snuff. The use of tobacco 
in different shapes is very common. From 
the time a Canadian habitant awakens in 
the morning, till he goes to bed at night, 
the tobacco pipe is seldom out of his 
mouth. The men smoke so much that 
they have not time to take snuff; but the 
snuff-maker is amply compensated by the 
ladies, who, of all ranks and of all ages, are 
greatly addicted to snuff taking; — and a 
filthy custom it is. It most assuredly assists 
their stoves and dry winter atmosphere, in 
giving them a withered appearance, ap.d 
premature marks of age. 

A species of sugar is made in Canada 



224 
from the maple tree, which is extremely 
good, when purified. The method of mak- 
ing it is this :— 

In the months of March and April, 
when the sap begins to rise, an incision 
is made in the tree about three feet 
from the ground, and the sap soon be- 
gins to run out. It is received into a 

vessel placed for the purpose ; a piece of 
wood is stuck into the incision which con- 
ducts the sap into the vessel, and it is car- 
ried to the boiler. Those who wish to 
make sugar, go into the woods, and encamp 
among maple-trees. They carry boilers, 
and other necessary apparatus with them; 
and they remain in the woods for several 
days, till the whole process is finished.— 
The quantity. of maple-sugar made in Ca- 
nada is equal to two-thirds of the whole 
consumption of the country. From the 
number of maple-trees with which the 
woods abound, one might imagine that 
enough might be made to render it an ar- 
ticle of trade and exportation. But they 
are deterred from it by the general abund- 
ance of West India sugar, which can be 
purchased nearly as cheap as maple-sugar* 
being often at five pence per pound ; while 



225 

this is the case, the Jamaica sugar will al- 
ways have the preference. 

Before closing this account of the trade 
of Canada, I must mention a district of it, 
called the Inferior district of Gasp£. It is 
situated to the southward of the river St. 
Lawrence, from Cape Chat downwards, 
and comprehends a considerable extent of 
country on the w r est coast of the Gulf 
of St. Lawrence, in which are found two 
deep bays, viz. Gaspe Bay, and Chaleur 
Bay. 

The district of Gaspe has a governor 
appointed by the king, and there is an in- 
ferior court of Kings Bench for the de- 
cision of such civil suits as do not ex- 
ceed 201. and to take cognizance of cri- 
minal matters that are not capital. 

At present the population, if you reckon 
resident settlers only, is not more than 
3,500. In the summer time a great many 
more are attracted for the purpose of carry- 
ing on the fishery, which is done in all its 
different stages. 

The bays and coasts of Gaspe abound 
with codfish, salmon, and many other 
sorts of fish. There are several fishing sta- 
tions along the coast; those of most im- 

Q 



226 

portance are at PerdS and Chaleur bay. 
The trade employs annually about a dozen 
square rigged vessels, besides a great many 
small craft, fish, to the value of 60 ? 0G0L 
a year, including what is sent to Quebec 
to be re-shipped for the West Indies, and 
elsewhere, or used in the country, are cured 
and sent to a market. The greatest part, 
however, is sent direct from Gaspe to the 
West Indies or Mediterranean. 

So much for the production and ex- 
ports of Canada ; and I wish I could, in 
addition, give you a correct idea of the 
character of the mercantile men of this coun- 
try. I will venture to make a few ob- 
servations. They are very industrious, 
and by no means extravagant in their ex- 
pences and style of living ; and yet, I will 
venture to say, that there is no place on 
either side of the Atlantic where there have 
been so many bankrupt estates. It is a sur- 
prising circumstance, and no less true than 
surprising, that of the great variety of mer- 
cantile houses which have been established 
here during the last forty years, not above 
five in a hundred of them have paid their 
debts. I have seen a list of the whole, and 
the manner hi which they made their exit; 



^^^m 



else, really, I could not have believed it 
possible. These houses have been almost 
wholly British. Very few of the Canadians 
have ever engaged in foreign commerce, 
and those who have tried it, have generally 
failed in the attempt* 

I have endeavoured to discover the 
causes of the great number of failures in 
this country; to enable one to do so, it is 
necessary to look back a little, to the events 
which have occurred. 

When we acquired the country, the po- 
pulation was trifling; and from the previ- 
ous derangements in the French treasury, 
the people were very poor. The mercan- 
tile adventurers from England, who came 
to the country, were strangers to the peo- 
ple, and to the kind of goods which suited 
them ; of course, they sold their goods to 
great disadvantage. They persevered for 
a year or two, but bankruptcy very fre- 
quently ensued. When they began to be 
a little acquainted with the sort of goods 
that were wanted, and the people that 
might be trusted, and when the general 
state of the country had been considerably 
ameliorated, the American war broke out : 
it threw every thing back, and put a stop in 



228 

a great measure to business ; the goods that 
were imported, from the high rate of freight 
and insurance, came to an immense price ; 
and when peace took place, there were 
many sufferers. Another calamity befel 
the country, of rather an uncommon kind 
to produce bankruptcy, viz. a great facility 
in making remittances. A public officer 
drew bills on government to a great amount 
from time to time, which he gave to the 
merchants on credit — they calculated on 
paying for them when they collected their 
debts in the course of the winter ; many of 
them never did pay; but the worst of it was, 
that calculating on the facility of getting 
bills, they gave large orders, which were 
executed with promptitude, as the English 
merchant, having received remittance of go- 
vernment bills, supposed that what he had 
received were bona fide bills, paid for; and 
that his correspondent was a man of pro- 
perty. As soon as the supply of govern- 
ment bills stopped, from a want of punc- 
tuality in fulfilling engagements, remittan- 
ces failed, and bankruptcy ensued.^ 

A great many bankruptcies may be 
traced up to these causes, which were 
however of a temporary nature, and are not 



229 
likely ever to recur. There are other causes 
of bankruptcy which arise out of the nature 
of the country, and might have operated in 
aid of the preceding temporary causes. 
Perhaps, the long continuance of the winter 
lessens their power of doing business to the 
extent they would be able to do, were the 
navigation of the St. Lawrence open all the 
year. During six months of the year, from 
November till May, no business is done 
except by those engaged in the dry x goods 
line, who continue to supply the wants of 
the shopkeepers ; but these are not great, 
for the country people have laid in their 
winter stock before the navigation closes. 
An important cause of bankruptcy, I should 
suppose, has been the want of capital to 
begin with, aided sometimes by their not 
being acquainted with the laws and customs 
of the people, and aided also by the bad 
custom which has got into general use of 
giving long credits to the country shop- 
keepers. Credit is easily procured in Eng- 
land by the foreign merchant, but it is not 
procured for nothing. Interest is charged 
after a certain time, and runs on during 
winter as well as during summer. If long 
credits are given here to ttie shopkeepers, 



230 

and even when monies are due, if pay- 
ments are not punctually made, remit- 
tances must fail. Interest accumulates in 
England ; and in Canada considerable ex- 
pences of housekeeping, &c. are unavoid" 
ably incurred. If the profits do not meet 
these, or if the merchant has the misfortune 
to make bad debts, the consequence is 
evident, bankruptcy must ensue. 

As the mercantile men in this country 
draw their resources from Britain, their 
real situation is not known except in Bri- 
tain. They are often in Canada imagined 
to be men of fortune, when they are in fact 
on the verge of bankruptcy. By and by 
their drafts come back dishonored, and the 
bubble bursts; then fortunate is he who 
h^s had le^st to do with them*« 

* To shew the encreased production and trade of Ca- 
nada, there is added in the appendix a statement of the 
exports nd imports of ast year, 1808. — It forms a cu- 
rious illustration of the efficiency of a brisk market, and 
high prices. 



231 



LETTER XVI. 

Quebec, 1807. 

Canada, and the other British colonies 
in North America, have of late acquired 
an additional degree of importance to the 
mother country, from the existing differ- 
ences with the United States ; and assur- 
edly neither ourWestlndia planters, nor our 
timber merchants, can trust to the States for 
supplies, as confidently as they have done 
heretofore ; they must look elsewhere, and 
to no quarter so naturally as to our own 
colonies. 

The obvious question for our considera- 
tion is, can our West India planters, our tim- 
ber merchants, and our dockyards, get the 
necessary supplies from our North Ameri- 
can colonies ? or, to what extent can they 
be supplied ? 

The West Indies require to be supplied 
with Dried codfish, 

Barrel or pickled fish, 
Salmon, herrings of different spe- 
cies, mackarel, and oil. 

Lumber, vi#. squared timber, scant- 



232 

ling, planks, and boards ; shingles, 
clapboards, oak staves, and hoops. 

Biscuit and flour; Indian corn and 
meal; pork, beef, butter, cheese, 
potatoes, and onions. 

Live stock, horses, oxen, hogs, sheep, 
and poultry. 

Our timber merchants, and dockyards, 
require lum b r of all sorts ;-~masts, yards, 
squared oak timber, plank, staves, pine« 
timber, deals, hemp, &c. Upon reference 
to the list of exports from Canada, it will 
appear that a supply of the whole of the 
preceding articles can be procured, but 
probably not to the extent necessary, ex- 
cept fish, which certainly can be got in any 
quantity in Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 
wick, if not in Canada, and in the Gulf and 
river St, Lawrence, 

The fisheries of our American colonies 
have had little or no direct encouragement 
from our government, though frequent re- 
presentations have been made on the sub- 
ject. It has been recommended to govern- 
ment to grant bounties, and to withhold 
from the Americans a share in the carrying 
to the West Indies, fish, lumber, &c. the 
produce of our colonies. Jt is a ch> 



233 

cumstance well known, that great part of 
the fish which the Americans carry to the 
West Indies, is caught and cured in Nova 
Scotia and New Brunswick, and sold to the 
merchants of Boston, who, from a variety 
of causes, can carry them to the West In- 
dies, cheaper than our own colonists can. 
The American government have taken great 
pains to encourage this fish trade, by giv- 
ing bounties, which operate strongly against 
the colonists : so much so, that they are in 
a great measure driven out of the trade.— 
This they say was not the case formerly, 
because, for nine years, viz. from 1785 to 
1794, while American ships were excluded 
from the West Indies, they were so well 
provided withs articles of the first necessity, 
that vessels from the northern colonies 
were frequently unable to find sale for their 
cargo esin our own islands, and were obliged 
to go to the foreign islands for a market. — 
Codfish at that time generally sold for less 
than five dollars per quintal, which proves 
its abundance, and consequently that the 
allowing the Americans to import fish in 
American ships was not a measure of ne- 
cessity. It seems to be decidedly the 
opinion of the best informed people here, 



234 

that with proper encouragement from home, 
the West Indies could be amply supplied 
with all sorts of fish, at moderate prices, 
from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and 
Gaspe*. 

It is certain that the fisheries of th& 
United States, by the encouragement given 
to them by their government, increase to a 
great degree, although the}^ labour under 
many disadvantages from the local situa- 
tion of their country : while the British 
fishery, with the advantage of carrying on 
the fishing on their own coasts, declines 
every year, for want, it is presumed, of 
adequate encouragement from the mother 
country, and from the interference of the 
citizens of the United States, in a variety 
of shapes. 

I have in my possession a very impor- 
tant document, shewing the amount of the 
provisions and lumber imported into our 
West India colonies, in the years 1804, 
1805, and 1806, and distinguishing the 
countries whence imported. By compar- 

* See appendix. — Memorial, and petition, of the mer- 
chants and other inhabitants of New Brunswick ; also, 
petition of the merchants and inhabitants of Halifax, 
Nova Scotia, and memorial referred to thereia. 



235 

ing the amount of these importations with 
the whole produce of our North American 
colonies, we shall be able to judge how far 
these colonies are likely to supply the wants 
of our West India islands. 

The average importation of the West 
Indies, for the three years, ending 1806, was 
as follows : 



CORN. 


Bushels. 


United Kingdoms 


183,1684- 


British North American Colonies - 


3,276f 


America 


406,189! 


Other countries - ■ - 


4,435^ 


Making a total of 


597,069J- 


BREAD, FLOUR, &c. 


Cwt. 


United Kingdoms 


34,49S| 


British American Colonies 


2,789^ 


America - 


463,505^ 


Other countries - 


7,667 


Making a total of 


508,460 


RICE. 


Barrels 


United Kingdoms 


53f 


British American Colonies 


18 


America - 


11,740 


Making a total of 


ll,811f 



236 

BEEF and PORK. 

United Kingdoms 

British American Colonies 

America 

Other countries - 



FISH, dry. 
United Kingdoms 
British North American Colonies 
America 
Other countries - 



Barrels. 
54,571! 
1,642! 

4*7,4244. 

385! 



y Making a total of 


104,013-1- 


• 
FISH, dry. 
United Kingdoms 
British American Colonies 
America 


Barrels. 
395 
3374 
569 


Making a total of 


l,303f 



Quintals. 

3,302| 
101,692f 
138,484 

3,2984 



Making a total of 246,778 



FISH, pickled. 
United Kingdoms 
British American Colonies 
America 
Other countries - 



Barrels. 
51,694f 
27,467 
38,171! 
990^ 



Making a total of 118,323! 



237 






BUTTER. 




Firkins. 


United Kingdoms 


- 


49,814|. 


British American Colonies 


- 


210J. 


America 




8,04if 


Other countries 


- 


80 



Making a total of 58,146f. 



CATTLE. 
United Kingdoms 
British North American Colonies 
America 
Other countries 



Number. 

8 

3 

4,175 

1,123 

5,309 



SHEEP and HOGS. 
United Kingdoms 
British American Colonies 
America - - • 

Other countries 



Number. 

44 

3,488 

318 



3,850 



OAK and PINE BOARDS and 'TIMBER. Feet. 



British American Colonies 

America 

Other countries 



942,122 

38,354,312 

101,330 



39,397,764 



238 




SHINGLES. 


Number* 


British American Colonies 


332,925 


America 


43,051,704 


Other countries 


13,333 




43,397,962 


STAVES* 


Number* 


British American Colonies 


525,360 


America 


17,602,354 


Other countries 


267,500 




18,395,214 



* An attentive perusal of the preceding 
statements will shew how much the West 
India islands are at present beholden to the 
United States for their supplies. In some 
articles, such as bread, flour, and rice, the 
States have a decided advantage : these are 
of a superior quality; besides, their vici- 
nity lessens the expence of carriage. These 
articles might, no doubt, be carried in Bri- 
tish bottoms, instead of American ; but 
they will probably be always furnished 
cheaper from the States than from our pro- 
vinces, even supposing the quantity could 
be procured. This may be the casein the 
course of a few years, though, at present, 

* For a more detailed account of the imports to the 
West Indies, see appendix. 



239 
it appears that there is more flour and bis- 
cuit consumed in the West Indies, than the 
whole exportation from our North Ame- 
rican colonies. 

Beef and pork, though supplied at pre- 
sent by the United States, to the extent of 
near half the consumption of the West In- 
dies, may certainly be supplied by Great 
Britain and her colonies, particularly in 
time of peace, when the great consumption 
of the navy will in some measure cease.— 
Besides, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, 
and Canada, afford abundance of fine pas- 
ture, particularly some of the islands in the 
St. Lawrence, which abound with salt 
marshes, yielding plenty of luxuriant grass 
and hay, such as the Isle au Grue 9 where 
there are salt marshes of many miles ex- 
tent, and where many thousand head of 
cattle might be fed all the year round.— 
Even now, both summer and winter feeding 
is carried on there to a considerable extent. 

Although it appears that nearly one half 
of the fish used in the West Indies is fur- 
nished by America, yet there can be no 
doubt that the whole might be got from 
our own provinces, were the Americans 



' 240 

prohibited from going to the islands ; and 
the colonists enabled, by bounties, to be 
their own carriers, instead of employing 
the Americans, who Jiave besides a bounty 
from their government of twenty shillings 
a ton on all vessels employed in the cod- 
fishery. 

In the different articles, under the de- 
nomination of lumber 9 the Americans ap- 
pear to have a most decided superiority ; 
but, it must be remarked, that part of their 
imports to the West Indies, is procured 
from New Brunswick, which already pro- 
duces upwards of ten millions of feet an- 
nually. As every year is adding to the 
population of our provinces, their power of 
supplying lumber annually increases ; for 
it is want of population, and not want of 
wood, that prevents our colonies from sup- 
plying any quantity that might be re- 
quired. 

The West India planters and merchants 
may say, " It is true we may be supplied 
from our own colonies, but not at so cheap 
a rate as from America ; our interest in- 
duces us to give them the preference/' — It 
may be so; but it becomes a question, 



241 

whether the Mother Country is to listen to 
such a reason. There are, perhaps, inte- 
rests paramount to theirs which must be 
attended to; — the great interests of the em* 
pire are to be taken into consideration. 

The British North American colonists 
argue with much plausibility in support 
of their claims to an exclusive supply of 
the West India islands. They grant that 
it is the interest of the West India plant- 
ers, and of the Americans, to have a free 
trade to the islands; but, they contend 
that the planters have no right to expect 
supplies from a neutral nation, merely 
because it affords them at a cheaper rate 
than the British colonies. If the Ame- 
ricans should obtain by treaty an indulg- 
ence of a free trade, it would greatly check 
the prosperity of our northern provinces, 
and throw the whole of the trade into the 
hands of the Americans ; so that the islands 
would depend on them entirely for sup* 
plies: and, if at any time hereafter, differ- 
ences should take place between Britain 
and America, from what quarter are the 
islands to obtain supplies ? The dimi- 
nished trade and fisheries of the colonies 

R 



242 

may demonstrate, when too late, the fatal 
policy of throwing into the hands of fo- 
reigners, a trade, which, with due encou- 
ragement, might have been almost entirely 
confined to British subjects. The supplies 
required by the islands cannot greatly en- 
crease; — and the northern colonies, from 
their great extent, and growing popula- 
tion, will every year be more and more 
able to furnish every article that may be 
wanted. 

This question between the West India 
planters and our North American colo- 
nies, is the case of two children applying 
to an impartial mother for a preference in 
some particular request. She will grant 
that which best suits the general good of 
the family, however hard or unjust either 
party may think it. The interests of colo- 
nies ought ever to give way, when they in- 
terfere, or are at variance w T ith, the inte- 
rests of the Mother Country. 



S4S 



LETTER XVII. 

Quebec, 1808* 

The genial influence of a May sun has 
broken the icy fetters with which Canada 
has been so long bound up. The winter is 
now past — we begin to see the face of the 
earth, which we have looked for, in vain, 
these six months. You cannot conceive 
what pleasure arises from discovering a 
piece of ground which the snow has de- 
serted—the eye rests upon it with delight ; 
our pleasurable sensations resemble those 
we enjoy, when, after a long absence, we 
Jneet a dear friend. 

A Canadian winter is truly a subject of 
curiosity to the natives of Britain, or of any 
of the southern countries of Europe. It 
presents a view of nature perfectly new, 
and a variety of phenomena so highly in- 
teresting, that they cannot fail to arrest the 
attention of any one at all conversant in 
natural philosophy. 



244 

In Canada there cannot well be said to 
be more than two seasons of the year, sum- 
mer and winter. The earth hath scarcely 
laid aside her mantle of snow, when you 
begin to feel the force of summer heat ; and 
although the weather in September is mild 
and pleasant, it partakes more of the sum- 
mer than of the autumn of temperate cli- 
mates. The season of vegetation seems 
kindly prolonged, till surprized in a man- 
ner at once by the return of winter, with- 
out much of what may be called autumn 
weather- 
Frost is felt in October, but the sun 
still retains enough of power to make the 
weather, during the day, tolerably warm. 

During the month of November the 
frost becomes daily more severe, and snow 
begins to fall. Your house is now put upon 
the winter establishment; stoves are put 
up in your rooms, and in 'your passages; 
the windows are well secured and made 
tight ; and you lay aside your summer dress, 
and adopt flannels and furs. 

One snow storm now succeeds another, 
till the whole face of the country is co- 
vered. The eye in vain looks for a bit of 



N . 245 
ground to rest upon — the trees alone re- 
main visible — the chilling grasp of winter 
is every where felt, and every precaution is 
taken to resist its effects. 

There is something very awful and ter- 
rific in a Canadian snow storm. A heavy- 
fall of snow is generally accompanied by a 
violent gale of wind, which driving along 
the snow with immense velocity, and form- 
ing a thousand eddies and turnings, accord- 
ing to the inequalities of the surface, and 
resistance consequent thereon, you are able 
to form an idea of the velocity of the wind 
—it becomes, as it were, visible. The most 
severe snow storms they experience in Ca- 
nada, come from the north-east, the frozen 
regions of Hudson's bay and Labrador. 

During summer the woods of Canada 
abound with birds of a great variety of sorts 
and sizes — partridges, woodcocks, pigeons, 
and singing birds without number. The 
lakes and rivers abound with aquatic birds, 
such as ducks, geese, snipes, &c. Some 
of these pass the whole summer in Canada ; 
others, such as the pigeons, are only found 
at certain seasons, as they pass from the 
southern to the more northerly parts of th$ 



246 
American continent, and vice versa. No 
sooner does the frost set in, than almost all 
the feathered tribes take the alarm, and 
leave the country ; even the hardy crow is 
obliged to take himself off. A species of 
partridge, called the pine partridge (from 
its living on certain parts of the pine tree, 
of which it tastes very strongly), alone re- 
mains—but it is very rarely seen. Few 
quadrupeds are to be seen ; some hares are 
found, but to see them is difficult, for they 
have changed their colour to as pure a white 
as the snow in which they lie — a kind pre- 
caution in nature to conceal them from 
their enemies. Many other quadrupeds, 
no doubt, remain in this country during 
the winter. Like the bear, they probably 
do not change their lodgings while the snow 
is on the ground, but remain stationary, and 
in a torpid state. 

The Canadians change their appear- 
ance as much as a complete change of dress 
can do. The hat and bonnet rouge are laid 
aside, and they use fur caps, fur cloaks, 
fur gloves, and worsted hose, over, as well 
as under boots. Thus defended, they ven- 
ture with impunity into the severest frost. 



247 
The snow soon covers the ground to the 
depth of several feet, and wheel carriages 
can no longer be used : the wheels would 
sink so deep, that it would be impossible 
to advance a step. In place, therefore, of 
wheel carriages, a sort of sledge is used, 
which in Canada is called a cariole. It 
passes over the snow without sinking deep. 
It is placed on what they call runners, 
which resemble in form, the irons of a pair 
of skaits, and rise up in front in the same 
manner, and for the same purposes. The 
cariole is generally from nine to twelve 
inches above the snow. Some, called high 
runners, are about eighteen inches. • The 
body of the cariole varies in shape, accord- 
ing to the fancy of the owner. It is some- 
times like the body of a phaeton, some- 
times like a chair or gig, sometimes like a 
vis-a-vis, and sometimes like a family coach 
or chariot. The cariole, in short, is the 
name for all sorts of vehicles used in win- 
ter, from a market cart, up to a state 
coach. 

The generality of them are light, open 
carriages, drawn by one horse. The snow, 



248 

after being trodden on for some time, be- 
comes compact enough to bear the horse, 
and gives very little resistance to the cari- 
ole. Some people are extremely fond of 
driving out in carioles ; for my own part, I 
think it is a very unpleasant conveyance, 
from the constant successon of inequalities 
which are formed in the snow by the cari- 
oles. These inequalities the Canadians call 
cahots (from the French word cahoter, to 
joltj, and they certainly are very well 
named, for you are jolted as if you crossed 
a field with very deep furrows and high 
narrow ridges. The motion is not unlike 
rowing in a boat against a head-sea— -a 
thing that requires to be only once tried, to 
be disliked, 

As no other sort of carriage can, how- 
ever, be used in this country, custom and 
example reconcile one to it ; all ranks use 
them, of one sort or other. Sometimes 
you see them conveying a dashing buck up 
oie street and down another at a gallop, to 
the no small annoyance of people who are 
end of keeping their bones whole, a thing 
hose gentlemen seem very careless about,! 



249 
Sometimes you see the close covered family 
ones, conveying an old lady quietly and 
steadily to church, or to have a little gos- 
siping with a fnend ; and sometimes you 
see them comrng in from the country con- 
veying beef and mutton, turkies and geese, 
for the supply of the market. 

When the navigation of the St. Law- 
rence becomes impracticable, little busi- 
ness is done by the merchants, who then 
appropriate a considerable part of their 
time to amusements. It is necessary to do 
something to give a little variety to the 
sameness of a six months' winter. The}^ 
have parties of pleasure in town, and par- 
ties of pleasure in the country, in which you 
have dancing, music, and the social en- 
joyments of conviviality. 

There is a public assembly once a fort- 
night, which is very well attended. If you 
are fond of dancing, you have an oppor- 
tunity of indulging in it ; if you like a so- 
fter rubber, you find very good whist play- 
ers. The civil and military gentlemen mix 
very cordially together. Such of the Ca- 
nadians as can afford it, and have an incli- 
jiation, join in the amusements that are 



250 

going forward, particularly the assemblies 
and dancing parties ; and, indeed, they are 
an acquisition, as many of the ladies want 
neither beauty nor the accomplishments 
necessary for their gracing an assembly. 

One should naturally suppose that very 
bad consequences would be likely to arise 
from being heated by dancing in so cold a 
climate. This, however, is not the case: 
both the ladies and gentlemen in the cold- 
est weather, are dressed in the assembly- 
room as thinly as they are in England in 
summer ; and the rooms are very comfort- 
able, being kept moderately warm by a 
stove. Immediately after dancing, and 
while very warm, the company go into the 
open air in the middle of the night while 
the cold is extreme (from 20 to 30 de- 
grees below the freezing point), without 
next day feeling the least inconvenience. 
It is true, they take every precaution neces- 
sary, by clothing themselves very warmly. 

People are less liable to suffer from cold 
in Canada than they are in England, not- 
withstanding the greater severity of the 
weather. Many reasons are assigned for 
this fact. The Canadians take care not to 



251 

expose themselves to the external air with- 
out being warmly clothed ; particular at- 
tention is paid to keeping the feet, the 
hands, and the head warm. 

The air is extremely dry in winter, being 
deprived of its moisture by congelation; the 
intense frost causes naturally a deposition of 
the aqueous particles, in the shape of hoar 
frost. Now, it has been accurately ascer- 
tained and proved by experiments, that cold 
dry air is not so good a conductor of heat 
from our bodies as cold moist air ; it follows, 
therefore, that the thermometer may shew 
a very low temperature in cold dry air, such 
as we have here, without our being; sen- 
sible of a great degree of cold ; and, that 
in cold moist air, such as you have in Eng- 
land, the thermometer may not be under 
the freezing point, and yet the quantity of 
caloric or heat carried off from your body, 
be greater than if the thermometer shewed 
a temperature many degrees below freez- 
ing. Were the effect of the cold here on 
one's feelings, to increase in proportion as 
the thermometer falls, and go as far beyond 
what it is in England, as the real quantum 
of caloric in the atmosphere is more there 



252 

than here, it would be impossible to exist 
in this country; but the evil carries its cure 
along with it, the frost deprives the air of 
its moisture, and consequently decreases 
its power of carrying off from our body the 
heat it contains. If we wish to know how 
the weather is to affect us, we should con- 
sult a hygrometer as well as a thermometer. 

When the cold dry air of this country 
enters your apartment, and is warmed by 
the heat of the stove, its drying power be- 
comes very great. To be convinced that 
this is the case, it is only necessary to ob- 
serve how much the furniture of the house 
suffers from it. The very pannels of the 
doors shrink so much as almost to fall out 
of the frame, and the frame itself shrinks 
to such a degree that the bolt loses its 
hold. 

I recollect to have remarked the very 
same effects from the hot easterly wind, 
which blows occasionally, in the end of 
summer, in the southern countries of Eu- 
rope. The Italians call it the siroc wind. 
It is equally known and dreaded, for your 
sensations are extremely disagreeable ; the 
effect on furniture is the same as that of 



253 

the air of this country, heated by the stove; 
but its effects on your body are much more 
severe. The skin, when the westerly wind 
blows, is covered with a gentle moisture, 
but as soon as the easterly or siroc wind 
blows, the skin becomes dry and parched, 
and your sensations are oppressive, and 
undescribable. When the air here is very 
much heated by the stoves, you feel in some 
degree the same sensations and effects ; but 
you have a remedy at hand : you have only 
to open a door, and you get a fresh supply 
of cold air. There is no avoiding the siroc 
wind — let your doors and windows be ever 
so tight before it begins to blow, it soon 
makes a passage for itself through the cre- 
vices of the shrunk pannels. 

An Englishman can w T ith difficulty form 
an idea of the cold of Canada, or of its 
effects, till he feels and sees them. The 
coldest weather is generally during the 
month of January. The thermometer fell 
last January to 60 degrees below the freez- 
ing point, and it continued at that tem- 
perature for several days. The medium 
temperature in December and January is 
about 22 degrees below freezing. 



254 

About the beginning of December all 
the small rivers are frozen so completely, 
and covered with snow, that bridges for 
passing them, are no longer necessary, and 
very little attention is paid to keeping in 
the summer roads. Where they are hol- 
low, or where there are fences, the roads 
are so completely filled up with snow, that 
they are on a level with the fields on each 
side. 

The country people who first form the 
winter roads on the snow, direct their Cap- 
rioles by the nearest course where the snow 
is most level ; and they go in as straight a 
line as possible, to the place to which they 
are destined. They put up branches of 
trees on each side the new track, as a direc- 
tion to others who wish to go that way* 
These they call des balises, or beacons. 
When they can conveniently follow the 
course or bed of a river it is generally 
done, because the surface is evener than 
over the fields, and there is less snow on 
them, as they do not freeze till after a con- 
siderable quantity of snow has fallen on 
the fields. 

Even the great river St. Lawrence is 



255 
arrested in its course. It freezes com- 
pletely over, a few leagues above Quebec, 
and serves occasionally as a road to Mon- 
treal. It seldom freezes over, opposite to 
Quebec, or in the bason. As the river 
narrows here, the current is increased, and 
the tide sets up and down with such force, 
that it generally keeps the floating masses 
of ice in motion. When the river freezes 
over, opposite to Quebec, it is called, in the 
language of the country, a pont, because it 
answers the purpose of a bridge to the peo- 
ple who live below Quebec, and who then 
bring up provisions, and fire- wood in great 
quantities. 

A variety of circumstances must com- 
bine to form a pont; when many very 
large masses of ice happen to come in 
contact, and fill the whole space be- 
tween one side of the river and the other, 
they become stationary. If this hap- 
pens at neaptides, and in calm weather, 
the frost fixes the whole, and it becomes a 
solid mass before the rising tides derange 
it ; when it has stood a few days, it generally 
acquires strength enough to resist every 



056 

impulse it may receive, till the Avarmth of 
the April sun affects it. 

All these circumstances so seldom hap- 
pen at the same time, that it is about ten 
years since the river took opposite to Que- 
bec. This year, however, I have had the 
pleasure of seeing it in that state, and it 
certainly is an interesting and curious sight. 
For the distance of eight miles, you see an 
immense sheet of ice, as smooth as a mir- 
ror. Thousands of people crowd upon it 
every day, and booths are erected for their 
entertainment. In one quarter, you see 
numbers of people enjoying the amusement 
of skaiting; in another, you see carioles 
driving in different directions ; for the ice 
is so strong, that horses go on it with the 
greatest safety. Sometimes you see cariole 
races : they go over the ice with great swift- 
ness. In short, when the pout , takes (as they 
term it), it occasions a kind of jubilee in 
Quebec. 

In one point of view, it is a sub* 
ject of r'eal rejoicing to the city; it is ac- 
companied with substantia] advantages.-— 
Provisions of all kinds, and firewood, a n<? 



m^^b^^b 



257 
Jess necessary article in this country, fall in 
price, from an increase in quantity, as soon 
as the pont enables the people in the coun- 
try below Quebec, to bring their surplus 
stock to market, in their carioles, without 
the expence and risk of passing the river in 
canoes. These canoes are not such as have 
been before described, used in the north- 
west trade. They are one solid piece of 
wood, the trunk of a large tree scooped 
out, and formed in the outside something 
like a boat ; some of them are very large, 
carrying easily 15 or 20 people. 

The passing of the St. Lawrence in ca- 
noes, in the middle of winter, is a very ex- 
traordinary operation- The time of high 
water is chosen, when the large masses of 
ice are almost stationary. The canoe is 
launched into the water, where there is an 
opening: the people are provided with 
ropes, boat-hooks, and paddles. When 
they come to a sheet of ice, they jump out 
of the canoe upon it; draw the canoe up 
after them ; push it to the* other side of the 
sheet of ice ; launch it into the water; pad- 
dle till they come to another sheet of ice ; 

s . 



258 

again haul up the canoe, cross the ice, and 
again launch — -and so on till they reach the 
other side. You see twenty to thirty ca- 
noes crossing in this way at the same time ; 
and you cannot help trembling for them, 
when you see two immense masses of ice 
coming together, and they between, appa- 
rently in the greatest danger of being 
crushed to pieces ; but the people extricate 
themselves with great dexterity. 

Custom has taught them to avoid the 
danger which seems to threaten them with 
destruction: they dexterously jump upon 
the first piece of ice with which they come 
in contact, and haul the canoe after them. 
I have never, myself, been under any neces- 
sity to pass the river in this way ; and I 
must own that it seemed fraught with so 
much danger, that I never from mere 
N curiosity was induced to attempt it. One 
might, by the aid of the people, escape 
drowning, if one even did fall into the 
water; but I conceive that a ducking in 
the river St. Lawrence, in the month of 
January, and remaining half an hour or 
more' in wet clothes, would be likely to put 



259 

a period to one's existence as effectually 
as drowning. 

In my next I shall enable you to form 
some idea of Canadian winter travelling, 
and make you acquainted with some phe- 
nomena incident to that season of the 
year. 



s6o 



LETTER XVIII. 



Quebec, 1808. 

To see the Canadian winter in all its ma- 
jesty, and to feel it in all its rigour, it is 
necessary to take a journey into the differ- 
ent parts of the country. This I have 
done. I have made a tour as high up as 
Montreal, and gone into the province of 
Vermont, in the United States. Lake 
Cham plain, 120 miles in length, was frozen 
over : we crossed it on the ice. 

Having provided myself with a good 
horse and cariole, and laid in a stock of 
provisions and liquors, and, moreover, hav- 
ing taken the necessary precautions to guard 
against the severity of the climate, I left 
Quebec in one of the coldest mornings I 
had ever experienced. The wind blew 
fresh from the north-west; the sun shone 
bright, and glistened on the dry pellucid 
snow, which the wind raised into the air,. 



261 

whirling it about, and dashing or darting 
on my face the minute crystals, like a 
shower of needle points, occasioning a 
smarting sensation, which made me feel 
more keenly the severity of the cold. Who- 
ever has travelled in Canada in the winter 
season, will be at no loss to recognize the 
kind of morning I describe. 

What a strange figure a Canadian win- 
ter traveller is, wrapped up in his various 
vestments ! In addition to the usual num-r 
ber of coats and waistcoats, I had a very 
large double cloak, a large fur cap, and fur 
tippet ; and, what added greatly to my 
comfort and defence against the cold wind, 
I had a very large muff, in which was 
often obliged to bury my face when the 
wind blew keen ; for you will recollect, that 
as the cariole is an open carriage, it affords 
no defence from the cold. With all the 
clothing and coverings you can put on, 
still you can with difficulty keep yourself 
warm. 

When a journey of any extent is to be 
made, a cariole must be used; but if you 
wish to deviate from the public beaten 
track, or to go into the woods, or cross 



' 262 

fields, either from necessity or for amuse* 
ment, you must use what are called snow 
shoes. They are made of a kind of net-* 
work, fixed on a frame, shaped like a boy's 
paper kite ; they are about two feet long, 
and 18 inches broad, and therefore take 
in so much of the surface of the snow, 
that you sink but a very few inches. 
The military, in Canada, are all provided 
with snow shoes, and are marched out on 
them, that it may be no novelty in case of 
their taking the field in winter. For the 
same reason they are sometimes encamped 
amongst the snow. ^ 

You can take a great deal of exercise 
in winter, without being fatigued, and can 
walk with ease and agility under a load of 
waistcoats and coats, under which you 
would sink in summer. When a person 
proceeds to take off all his coverings, it puts 
one jn mind of the grave-digger in Hamlet, 
to whom modern actors have given many 
more waistcoats than even a Canadian grave-t 
digger in winter would require. 

The winter travelling in Canada is some- 
times very expeditious. It is surprising 
with what speed a good Canadian horse 



263 

will travel, drawing a cariole over the ice. 
There have been instances ot a single horse 
having drawn a cariole, with two people in 
it, no less than 90 miles in twelve hours ; 
which is more than mail-coach rate, with 
all their changes. When this happens, the 
roads must be very smooth and hard, which 
is generally the case when a severe frost has 
succeeded a thaw. 

The Canadian horse is a remarkably 
hardy animal : his best pace is a trot. He 
is accustomed to a great deal of bad usage 
and hard work, and he is the most willing 
creature in the world (as the jockeys term 
it), for he never refuses the draught. You 
will see them brought from the, country in- 
to Quebec in the coldest weather, and left 
standing in the open air without covering, 
for hours together, while their owners are 
transacting their business, or drinking in a 
public house ; and they seem not to be the 
worse for it. 

In the winter time the Canadian horse, 
like all the other quadrupeds of the coun- 
try, acquires an increased quantity of fur 
to protect him from the cold ; and the Ca- 
nadians never use the currying comb, — 



264 

When the horses have been heated by fast 
driving, in a cold day, they appear to have 
a sort of icicle at every hair, and really 
make a very grotesque appearance ; and 
you frequently see icicles two or three inches 
in length, hanging at their noses. 

Previous to my commencing my tour, 
there had been a heavy fall of snow for 
some days, so that the roads were in bad 
order for expeditious travelling. I seldom 
went more than from thirty to forty miles 
a day. I had not proceeded far, ere I found 
the great difference, in point of beauty, 
between the winter and summer scenery. — 
Instead of the fine variety, which, in sum- 
mer, presented itself, in tracing the course 
of the river, — the gaiety, the liveliness of 
the moving waters, and passing vessels— 
the fine tints of the forest, and of the 
corn-field — the labourer employed in the 
business of the farm — every surrounding 
object reflected from the surface of the 
river; nothing now was to be seen but 
one continued solid plain — one indiscrimi- 
nate field of snow; — -no rivers — no wa- 
ters-— no ships — not an animal in view, 
man nor beast, except now and then a muf. 



265 
fled-up traveller, hurrying along, as if anxi- 
ous to get to a place of shelter. 

The St. Lawrence was so full of shelv- 
ing masses of ice, which the frost had fixed 
in that position, that a road could not be 
made upon it; we continued therefore in 
the summer road, till we came to the river 
du Loup, which gave us for several leagues 
a pleasant road, free from cahots. From the 
river du Loup to the river MaskinongS, the 
distance is short, and we followed the course 
of the Maskinonge for several leagues, till 
we came to the St. Lawrence, on which we 
found a good road as far as Berthier. 

Berthier is one of the best cultivated and 
most beautiful settlements in Canada. In 
summer it bears someresemblance topart of 
Gloucestershire, on the banks of the Severn. 
— In the St. Lawrence, opposite to Ber- 
thier, are several islands of considerable size, 
abounding with very fine timber, and yield- 
ing rich pasture for cattle. In summer, 
they have a charming effect ; but, in win- 
ter, all is dreary and deathlike — nothing is 
left but the mere skeleton of a wood. 

Which way soever you direct your at- 



266 

iention, nothing presents itself to your ob- 
servation, but ice and snow; so that you 
may suppose there can be very little 
variety in a winter journey. After the first 
day, yqur curiosity is perfectly satisfied. 

The country people, pass their time in 
winter, very idly. Their only care seems to 
be to keep themselves warm; and their 
principal occupation is cutting and bring- 
ing home firewood. They make a journey 
to Quebec or Montreal occasiqnally, to dis- 
pose of any surplus provisions they may 
have, and procure some of the comforts of 
life ; such as replenishing their rum bottle, 
and renewing their stock of snuff, pipes, 
and tobacco. 

Those who live on the banks of the St. 
Lawrence, where the tide ebbs and flows, 
occupy themselves occasionally in fishing, 
or catching a species of fish, which come 
up the river in the winter time, in great 
abundance, and form a seasonable supply 
for those who will take the trouble to at- 
tend to it 

They arc from four to nine inches long, 
and resemble a cod in every respect, except 



267 
size. The Canadians call them petite 
Monte : the English call them Tommy 
cod, — Some people think that it is a dif- 
ferent fish from the cod; for my own 
part, I cannot see why. The principal 
reason for their being supposed a different 
fish from the cod is, that they are found 
full of spawn, which, it is alleged, could 
not be the case with cod at so early an age, 
and so small a size. This does not appear 
to me enough to warrant this conclusion. 
It is not, I believe, ascertained at what age 
or size the codfish begins to propagate ; and 
I have yet to learn why this may not take 
place when the fish is six inches long, as 
-well as when it is a foot, or two or three 
feet, long. If size w r ere the criterion, it ap- 
pears as extraordinary that a fish, w T icfi 
grows to the length of three or four feet, 
should propagate w T hen at the length of one 
foot, as that it should do so at the length 
of six inches. 

The manner of catching these fish is to 
cut holes in the ice, and put down either 
nets or lines. Between Quebec and Three 
Rivers immense quantities are taken . They 
are easily preserved without salt ; the frost 



268 

answers the purpose; and you may se£ 
them piled upon the ice in large quantities, 
all frozen. It is a remarkable thing, that the 
Canadian horses eat them . One can sc arcely 
help smiling at the idea of ahorse eating Jisk, 
but, you may rest assured, it is a fact. 

Great quantities of these fish are caught 
at Quebec, with lines. The manner of do- 
ing so is odd enough : A hole is dug in the 
ice, and a temporary house is built over it, 
large enough to hold half a dozen people, 
and a stove to keep them warm. Those 
who cannot afford to purchase deals to 
make a house, substitute large pieces of ice, 
with which they form a kind of defence 
from the weather. The middle of the night 
is the best time for fishing. They place a 
Strong light near the hole, which attracts 
the attention of the fish, and brings them 
round the hole, in large quantities ; so that 
they are caught as fast as they can be 
pulled in. These houses are erected on the 
river St. Charles, in great numbers ; and 
have a singular appearance in a dark night, 
particularly those made of ice, the trans- 
parency of which, gives them the effect of so 
many lanterns. 



269 

It is a singular fact, that these fish, if 
not bruised, will, when put into cold water 
several days after they are caught, return to 
life, and swim about as well as ever. At 
the time they are caught, they are thrown 
into a basket, and in the course of a mi- 
nute or two, they become frozen stiff. When 
carried home, and put into cold water, they 
become thawed, and begin to swim. How 
long they would continue out of the water 
in the frozen state, and afterwards shew 
signs of life, I cannot determine ; but I can 
speak to the fact, for several days. I have 
tried some that had been taken, and been 
in a frozen state for eight da}'s, but they 
did not recover, or shew any signs of life. 

It is a curious circumstance : certainly 
the vital principle had not been destroyed. 
Perhaps the ice, or sudden freezing, had 
not penetrated much below the surface; 
and, by forming a kind of covering, hav- 
ing the properties of a non-conductor, may 
have preserved the vital heat from escap- 
ing into the cold air. Perhaps, a kind of 
torpor came on, like that of the bear and 
other winter sleepers. Probably the cause 
is beyond our reach, for nature generally 



mo 

draws a veil 1}etwixt us and her most ex-* 
traordinary operations. 

On ray arrival at Montreal, I found the 
good folks employed in precisely the same 
way, that those I had left in Quebec, passed 
their time. In all countries, people pass 
their leisure hours pretty much alike ; that 
is, they dedicate them to amusement. In 
Canada, as most of their winter hours are 
leisure hours, there is, of course, some in- 
genuity necessary to give such variety to 
their amusements as may prevent them 
from becoming insipid by frequent repeti- 
tion. Hence, in Quebec and Montreal, to 
the regular town parties, are added, irregular 
country parties. Pic-nic feasts, where every 
one carries with him a ready-dressed dish, 
are very common; and as the place of 
rendezvous is generally a few miles out of 
.town, the ladies and gentlemen have the 
pleasure of a little carioling before dinner; 
the roads, it is true, are often abominably 
bad, being a constant succession of cahots, 
in which you are jolted most unmercifully ; 
not to say any thing of cariols being very 
frequently upset, and their contents, ladies, 
gentlemen, soup, poultry, or roast beef, 



271 
tumbled into the snow, to the no small 
amusement of the rest of the party. It is 
also any thing but excessively pleasant, after 
having dined, danced, supped, and passed 
the evening in festive glee, enlivened by 
the sons; and the catch, to drive home in 
the middle of the night, let the wind blow, 
and the snow drift as much as they please. 
Besides, there sometimes come on such 
dreadful storms, that neither man nor horse 
can shew their face to them. The conse- 
quence is, the party remain all night; the 
fiddlers again strike up the merry dance, 
and the whist players again cut for partners; 
what cannot be cured, must be endured. 
Day-light comes at last, and enables 
the party to take the road homeward with- 
out the danger of losing their way, which 
most probably would have been the case 
with some of them had they attempted it 
in the course of the night. The little 
hardships, disasters, or inconveniences of 
these country parties, give a zest however 
to the more elegant amusements of the 
town. 

A stranger in Canada, who has had a 
respectable introduction, is well received. 



272 

and meets every where the greatest hos- 
pitality. 

To travel from Canada to the United 
States, is, in England, considered to be a 
most arduous and perilous undertaking. In 
truth, it is not without its dangers and diffi- 
culties, particularly in winter; yet, with all 
the inconveniences attending it, the journey 
is performed very frequently. The Ame- 
ricans are constantly coming into Canada, 
particularly to Montreal. They bring pro- 
visions, and various sorts of dry goods, ge- 
nerally in Sleighs, which resemble the Cana- 
dian cariole, except that they are placed on 
high runners, and are larger and more com- 
modious than the cariole. The high run- 
ners give them one great ad vantage, which is, 
that they do not form in the roads those in- 
equalities the Canadians call cahots, which 
jolt you so much, and are one of the prin- 
cipal drawbacks to winter travelling in 
Canada. 

I procured one of the Yankie sleighs, as 
they are usually termed, and left Montreal 
in a very cold , hazy morning. Our first stage 
was from Montreal cross the St. Lawrence 
to Laprairie, a distance of about nine miles. 



273 

After travelling about two hours on the 
river, we began to think it was more than 
time to reach the other side. We continued 
our course for half an hour more; still no 
appearance of the place of our destination. 
In fact* we had lost our way. The weather 
was so thick and hazy we could see but a 
very short space, and our driver had struck 
into a wrong track. There were a variety of 
tracks on the river, formed by the people 
coming from different parts of the opposite 
side, with fire-wood, &c. for Montreal. In- 
deed, I reckoned from 2 to 300 sleighs on 
that part of the river alone* all directing 
their course to Montreal. 

On inquiring of some of these people, 
we found that instead of crossing the river 
we had taken a direction upwards, and 
were very near the rapids, a little below 
a part of the country inhabited by a tribe 
called the Caghnawaga Indians, at a con- 
siderable distance from Montreal. We 
had to retrace our steps; and in about 
two hours more, we arrived at Laprairie. 

This circumstance is trifling in itself; 
I mention it merely to shew you the lia- 
bility to go astray, when travelling over a 

$ T 



274 

level surface of snow. You can hardly 
imagine any thing more easy than to cross 
from one side of a river to another, over a 
track which we had been accustomed to 
look at every day, and yet, we went a con- 
siderable way out of our road, in a very 
short space of time. It was a good lesson 
for us, as we had to go on I^ake Champlain ; 
where, if we once lost ourselves, it might be 
long enough before we again found out the 
right road. 

After leaving Laprairie, we very soon 
got into a primeval forest, through which a 
road has been cut as far as the American 
boundary line; and it is continued onwards 
to Lake Champlain. This is the principal 
communication in this district, between 
Canada, and the United States. For many 
miles the country is very level, and com- 
pletely covered with large timber, prin- 
cipally pines. I saw no cross roads, so 
that it is a kind of pass that might be de- 
fended with very few men. 

The vicinity of Montreal to the United 
States, encourages the soldiers occasionally 
to desert, by the road we passed; to pre- 
vent which, a few invalids are stationed in 

6 



275 

the wood ; they live in log-houses, not the 
most comfortably in the world. There is 
another road by way of St. John's, but the 
deserters avoid it on account of the gar- 
rison or fort. As we approached the Ame- 
rican boundary, we found a few settlements, 
what the Americans call a pitch. They cut 
down some trees, make a log-house, sow 
some corn ; next year they cut down more 
trees, and sow more corn, and so on till 
they produce something in the style of a 
farm* Instead of cutting down the trees* 
the Americans very frequently ring them, 
as they term it, which is cutting a section 
of the bark quite round : soon after which 
the tree decays. We saw several potash 
manufactories as we approached the Lake* 
and the woods are continued close to the 
water. We found near the Lake a kind of 
public-house, where we stopped during the 
night. 

Next morning w r e could not proceed* 
because, during the whole night it had 
blown very fresh, accompanied with a 
heavy fall of snow, which continued till 
near mid-day ; and as every track on the 
Lake was covered, we could not venture to 
gi> upon it, our conductor not being well 



276 
acquainted with the different bearings of 
the land marks. 

The Lake, though 120 miles long, is not 
broad, seldom above 10 to 15 miles; and 
there are a great many islands and head- 
lands, which direct the course of the pilot 
in summer, and the cariole or sleigh driver 
in winter. 

So soon as the weather moderated, we 
set out on the Lake; and took a guide for 
some time, till we should fall in with some 
one going our way, or discover a track in 
the snow to direct us. 

Travelling on Lake Cham plain, is, at all 

i 

times, really dangerous; and I would not 
advise any one to attempt it, if it can be 
avoided ; which may generally be done by 
lengthening the route. Instead of going 
on the Lake to Burlington, or Skeensboro, 
you may go by way of St. John's, Wind- 
mill-point, and Sandbar, to Burlington, and 
from thence to Skeensboro. 

It is very common, for sleigh, horses, and 
men, to fall through the ice, where the 
water is some hundred feet deep ; and you 
have no warning of your danger till the 
horses drop in, pulling the sleigh after 
them; luckily the weak places are of no 



^^^^^MMI 



277 
great extent; you extricate yourself from 
the sleigh as quickly as possible, and you 
find the ice generally strong enough to sup- 
port you, though it would not bear the 
weight of the horses. You instantly lend 
your aid in pulling out the horses, and in 
endeavouring to save them, which is done 
in a manner perfectly unique, and which 
will require the greatest stretch of your 
faith in my veracity, to believe — the horses 
are strangled, to save their lives. 

When the horses fall through the ice 
(there are almost always two in an Ame- 
rican sleigh), the struggles and exertions 
they make, serve only to injure and sink 
them ; for, that they should get out of 
themselves, is, from the nature of the thing, 
perfectly impossible. When horses go on 
the Lake, they always have, round their 
necks, a rope with a running noose. I ob- 
served that our horses had* each of them 
such a rope ; and on inquiry, found out for 
what purpose it was intended. The mo- 
ment the ice breaks, and the horses sink 
into the water, the driver, and those in the 
sleigh, get out, and catching hold of the 
ropes, pull them with all their force, which , 
in a very few seconds, strangles the horses . 



278 

and no sooner does this happen, than they 
rise in the water, float on one side, are 
drawn out on strong ice, the noose of the 
rope is loosened, and respiration recom- 
mences ; in a few minutes the horses are 
on their feet, as much alive as ever. This 
operation has been known to be performed 
two or three times a day, on the same 
horses ; for, when the spring advances, the 
weak places in the Lake, become very nu- 
merous ; and the people, whose business 
leads them often on it, frequently meet 
with accidents. They tell you that horses 
which are often on the lake, get so accus- 
tomed to being hanged, that they think no~> 
thing at all of it. 

Pray, tell me, do you not think that 
this is one of those stories that travellers 
imagine they may tell with impunity, hav- 
ing a licence? — Seriously, you are wrong. — i 
Though this manner of saving horses, and 
getting them out of the water, appears ex- 
traordinary, yet, I assure you, the thing is 
very common, and known to ever}' one 
who has been accustomed to travel on the 
lakes and rivers of this country, during win- 
ter. The attempt however does not always 
succeed. It sometimes happens, that both 



■HH 



%79 
sleigh and horses go to the bottom ; and 
the men too, if they cannot extricate them- 
selves in time. There was an instance of 
it on Lake Champlain, a few days before I 
crossed it. 

These weak places of the ice, which 
prove so treacherous, have been later in 
freezing, than the surrounding ice. In all 
lakes, and large bodies of fresh water, there 
are some places which never freeze ; and 
some which freeze much later than others. 
It is to be accounted for, probably, in this 
way. The great body of the water, is of a 
higher temperature than the atmosphere, 
although the surface has been cooled down 
below the freezing point, and become ice. 
The water is constantly giving out its heat 
to the atmosphere, at some particular place, 
which thereby is kept from freezing for a 
considerable time ; by and by, when the 
frost becomes very intense, that place at 
length freezes, but does not acquire the 
strength necessary to support the horses. 

There is another source of danger to 
the traveller on the lakes, which it is dif- 
ficult to account for : viz. large cracks or 
openings, which run from one side of the 
lake to the other; some of them, six feet 



280 

broad at least. I had not proceeded 
many miles on the lake before I met with 
a crack; but instead of an opening, I 
found that at this place the ice had 
shelved up to the height of several feet ; 
and I learned that this was an indication 
of there being an opening further on. At 
the distance of eight or ten miles from this 
place, I was surprised to observe the driver 
put his horses to their full speed : I could 
see no cause for it. In a few minutes, 
however, I saw the crack or opening, 
about five feet broad : we were at it in a 
moment ; it was impossible to check the 
horses, or to stop and consider of the 
practicability of passing, or of the conse- 
quences ; the driver, without consulting any 
one, had made up his mind on the sub- 
ject, — the horses took the leap, and cleared 
the opening, carrying the sleigh and its 
contents with them. The concussion on 
the opposite side was so great, however, 
that the runners of the sleigh were broken, 
and there was a great chance of our being 
thrown, by the violence of the concussion, 
out of the sleigh, into the gulf we had 
crossed : this had very nearly taken place; 
but I was fortunate enough to regain my 



Mi 



281 

seat. By the help of some cords, we re- 
paired our damage, and proceeded on our 
journey. We met with several other cracks, 
but as they were not in general above a 
foot or two in breadth, we passed them, 
without fear or accident. When the ice is 
cleared of snow, which was frequently the 
case, I could see that it was about a foot 
in thickness; yet it made a crackling noise 
as we went along, and seemed to give to 
the weight of the sleigh and horses, as we 
advanced, which produced sensations not 
very pleasant. 

There are a great many islands in Lake 
Champlain, which are generally inhabited; 
you find inns on them, too, where you can 
get provisions, and beds if necessaty. I 
shall embrace another opportunity of mak- 
ing some observations to you about this 
Lake and the surrounding country ; but for 
the present, shall, in my next letter, com- 
municate to you some further particulars 
relative to the Canadian winter. 



■■MB^^^^^M 



282 



LETTER XIX. 



Quebec, 1803. 

The range of the thermometer in Canada, 
is very extensive. The heat in summer 
runs into as great an extreme, as the cold in 
winter. The range, during the last twelve 
months, has been no less than 120 degrees ; 
and, what is not a little surprising, it has 
reached 60 degrees precisely, on each side 
of the freezing point (32). In summer the 
thermometer rose to 92, and in winter it 
fell to 28 below zero. I have been told, 
that the cold has been known in this coun- 
try to freeze mercury, the thermometer hav- 
ing fallen below 40 under zero. 

The severity of the cold has its advan- 
tages as well as disadvantages. The quan- 
tity of snow with which the ground is co- 
vered, renders it necessary for the farmer to 
house all his cattle and sheep, and to put 



283 

his hay, straw, and corn, under cover. — 
So soon as the ground is covered, and the 
frost completely set in, the cattle and sheep, 
which are destined for winter use, are kill- 
ed; and also poultry of all kinds, before 
they have lost any of the fat they had ac- 
quired during the summer and autumn. — 
No salt is necessary to preserve them : they 
only require to be exposed to the frost for 
a short time, and they become as hard as 
ice. When in this state, the poultry, and 
indeed the beef and mutton too, are packed 
in casks or boxes amongst snow, and at the 
end of four or five months, are still per- 
fectly sound and good. I have to-day 
(10th May) eat of a fowl which has been 
killed upwards of four months ; and I really 
think it could not easily be distinguished 
from a fowl killed but a few days. Frozen 
meat is thawed by keeping it in cold wa- 
ter about twelve hours — warm water would 
render it useless. , 

After the meat is hard frozen, the prin- 
cipal thing to be attended to, is, to preserve 
it from the external air when the tempera- 
ture is above the freezing point, which is 
frequently the case in March and April. — 



284 

Snow being a good non-conductor of heat, 
answers this purpose : blankets, too, are fre- 
quently used. The frost not only preserves 
beef, mutton, and poultry, but also Jish, so 
long as you can keep it in a temperature be- 
low freezing. The fish market, during winter, 
is pretty well supplied, owing, not a little, 
to the great industry of the people of the 
United States, who come even from Bos- 
ton to Montreal, a distance of 4^0 miies. 

Provisions of all kinds are more plenti- 
ful, and consequently cheaper, in winter 
than in summer. The market is supplied 
from a greater extent of country. The 
Jakes and rivers being frozen, and the peo- 
ple without work, they bring to market all 
sorts of meat and poultry, from a great dis- 
tance. Being hard frozen, it can be stowed 
in their carioles without receiving the least 
injury from the great length ot carnage. 

Good beef and mutton are sold at from 
3d. to 4d. per lb. ; good fat fowls at 20d. 
to 2s. per couple ; turkeys 2s. to 2s. 6d. 
each ; geese and ducks in proportion : so 
that the expense of housekeeping in these 
articles, is not great in winter. In summer, 
as meat is supplied in the towns by the 



285 
town butchers alone, the price advances 
considerably. The great heat of summer 
renders it impossible to bring meat from any 
considerable distance. 

It is a fortunate thing for the people in 
the towns of Canada' that provisions are 
cheaper in winter than in summer ; for, the 
winter subjects them to a heavy expense 
for firewood, which is, as you may well be- 
lieve, a sine qua non in this climate. 

The expense of fuel to a family in Que- 
bec or Montreal, is fully equal to what the 
same family would require in London ; and 
it is to be regretted, that there is no pros- 
pect of its becoming cheaper. On the con- 
trary, in proportion as the woods are cut, 
and the distance of carriage increased, the 
price is augmented ; so that in time it will 
be cheaper to import coals than purchase 
wood. Firewood is generally laid in, dur- 
ing the summer. It is brought to Quebec 
and Montreal, on the river,, in immense 
rafts. The wood is cut into junks, and 
piled upon a float sub-divided into com- 
partments of ^certain size, containing so 
many cords. In winter, it is brought from 



286 

the country in sleighs, and sold at so much 
per cord, or per sleigh load. No coal has 
yet been found in Canada, probably be- 
cause it has never been thought worth 
searching after* It is supposed that coal 
exists in the neighbourhood of Quebec ; at 
any rate, there can be no doubt that it ex-^ 
ists in great abundance in the island of 
Cape Breton, which may one day become 
the Newcastle of Canada. 

At present, coals are to be purchased 
very cheap in Quebec. Many of the ves- 
sels from Scotland, and from the north of 
England, take in coals as ballast, and sell 
them very cheap ; sometimes as low as 17s. 
per chaldron. Even the kennel coal, which 
is difficult to be met with in many parts of 
England, is sold at 36s. per chaldron, which 
is not above half the price of Newcastle 
coal in winter in the neighbourhood of 
London. People who have been accus- 
tomed to burn wood, do not like to burn 
coal. They tell you that the smell is ex- 
tremely disagreeable to them, and, besides, 
that coal does not answer for stoves so well 
as wood. This prepossession against coa3s 5 



287 
accounts for their being proportionally 
cheaper than wood. 

It is well that we have either wood or 
coal, for the effects of frost in this country 
are with difficulty guarded against, and are 
really in themselves very curious. I made 
an experiment, which, to most people, w T ill 
appear very surprising. I burnt my hand 
with a cold iron. This may seem in- 
credible ; but a little explanation will con- 
vince you of the truth of what I have as- 
serted. 

In one of those very cold mornings we 
had in the month of January, when the 
thermometer had fallen near 60 degrees be- 
low the freezing point, I put my hand to a 
piece of iron that had been exposed to the 
frost in the open air all night. At first, I 
felt the sensation arising from extreme cold ; 
in a few seconds I felt the sensation of 
heat; and it soon became so strong, and 
so painful, that I was as glad to quit my 
hold, as if it had been a hot iron. Indeed, 
I found that I had kept it too long, because 
the part that had been in contact, blistered, 
in the same manner it would have done had 



288 

it been a hot iron, and it was cured in the 
same way. No surgeon in England, had 
he been called in, could have suspected 
that it was not the effect of coming in con- 
tact with a hot iron. In truth, heat was 
the cause of the wound ; and you will rea- 
dily allow that I am correct, when I have 
explained to you a few circumstances. 

Burning by a hot iron is produced by 
the heat, or what is technically called, 
caloric, passing in such quantity, and with 
such rapidity, into the part in contact with 
the iron, that the continuity and arrange- 
ment of the part is destroyed. Burning 
with a cold iron arises from the heat pass- 
ing in such quantity, and with such ra- 
pidity, out of the part of the body in con- 
tact with the cold iron, as to produce the 
same effect. Heat in both cases is the 
cause; and its going into the body from 
the iron, or into the iron from the body, 
does not alter the nature of the effect. 

It is the nature of heat to spread itself 
equally and uniformly through all bodies. 
Some receive it, and part with it more 
quickly than others do ; their conducting 



289 
powers are different. When two bodies, of 
different temperatures, come in contact, the 
greater the difference is, the more violent will 
be the transmission of heat from the one to 
the other. JSlow, when you reflect that 
the temperature of the blood is 66 degrees 
above the freezing point (the freezing 
point is 32. of Fahrenheit, making 98. as 
the temperature of the blood), and that 
the temperature of the cold iron, which 
burnt me, was 28. below zero, that is, 60. 
below the freezing point, you have a differ- 
ence of 126 degrees of heat. This differ- 
ence is greater than what ^exists between 
the teijnperature of our blood (98.) and the 
temperature of boiling water, 212. which is 
only 1 14 degrees; so that it is not at all 
surprising that the transmission of heat 
should have been violent, and that burning 
should have been the consequence. 

You will excuse me for leading you a 
little into these abstract matters. To as- 
sert that I was burnt with a cold iron, re- 
quired something more to support it than 
the mere ipse dixit of the narrator, what- 
ever his character for veracity might be. The 
thing, on a superficial view, is so contrary 

u 



290 

to our common-received opinions, that it 
was some time before I was quite recon- 
ciled to it. In theory, it was not new to 
me; and, as au opportunity occurred for 
proving the theory by practice, I was re- 
solved not to neglect it *. 

Analogous to being burnt with a cold 
iron, is the effect produced on the face 
when it is exposed to a very cold wind.— 
The sensation is nearly the same as when it 
is exposed to a very, hot wind, and the effect 
is precisely the same. When travelling in 

* The idea of being burnt by a cold iron appears pa* 
radoxical, but it has been long familiar to chemists. Our 
great poet Milton, too, makes an allusion to the like ef- 
fect of cold in his description of the residence of Satan 
and his compeers.— -After describing Styx, he says, 

<( Beyond this flood a frozen continent 
Lies dark and wild, beat with perpetual storms 
Of whirlwind and dire hail, which on firm land 
Thaws not, but gathers heap, and ruin seems 
Of ancient pile ; or else deep snow and ice, 
-A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog 
Betwixt Damiata, and Mount Cassius old, 
Where armies whole have sunk : the parching air 
Burns fr ore, and cold performs tF effect of fire" 

Paradise Lost, Book II. 

Frore is an old word for frosty. — We have also in 
Virgil, Georg. I. 1. 93. 

Boreae penetrabili frigus adurat. 



291 
a hot cKmate, and exposed to the opera- 
tion of a warm wind, I have found that 
my face became red and inflamed, and, 
as it were, scorchedl If rubbed with any 
kind of strong spirit, it smarted exceed- 
ingly, and perhaps the skin partially came 
oft'. The same sensations, and the same 
effects, are produced by a very cold wind. 
The principle on which they act, the cause 
from which they proceed, is the same — the 
too violent passage of heat into, or out of 
the part affected. 

There is another effect very frequently 
produced by cold in this country, which 
bears* no analogy (as in the preceding ex- 
ample) to any thing produced by external 
heat ; and a dreadful effect it is— I mean 
frost bitten. 

When the weather is very cold, particu- 
larly when accompanied by a smart wind* 
instances of people being frost bitten, fre- 
quently occur. Not a season passes, with- 
out some of the sentinels being frost bitten 
on their posts. Sometimes, their hands and 
face, sometimes, their feet, are affected; and 
a mortification of the part generally fol- 
lows, if the proper remedy is not applied 



292 

in time. The remedy will seldom be ap-r 
plied, if you are attacked in the dark, which 
is often the case with those who travel at 
night, as well as with sentinels. Their own 
feelings do not inform them of the presence 
of the enemy ; and they are not likely, in 
the dark, to have him discovered by other 
people. He insidiously makes a breach ; 
and if he can keep his ground but for a 
short time, it is in vain afterwards to think 
of dislodging 'him. In the towns, during 
the day, there is less danger, because you 
will be stopped by the first person who 
observes the symptoms. This is readily 
and easily done, as the part frost bitten 
becomes white, while the rest of the face is 
very red. 

In so critical a moment, people do not 
stand on any ceremony, as you may sup- 
pose. They know you are not conscious 
of your situation ; and they also know, that 
before they could convince you that you 
are frost bitten, and on the point of losing 
your n6se perhaps, it might actually be too 
late to apply the remedy ; they instantly 
take a handful of snow, and either rub the 
part themselves, or make you do it. 



293 

It certainly is enough to startle a stran- 
ger, to see a person, perfectly unknown to 
you, come running up, with a handful of 
snow, calling out, M Your nose, Sir, — your 
nose, — you are frost bitten f and, without 
further ceremony, either themselves rub- 
bing it without mercy, or making you do 
so. 

When this is done in due time, the tone 
of the part, the circulation of the blood, is 
restored ; and, instead of losing a nose, you 
get off with the loss of the skin perhaps. — 
An acquaintance of mine, who has not 
been long in the country, was stopped in 
the street the other morning. — " Your nose, 
Sir" was the salute ; " it is frost bitten ; — • 
rub it with snow instantly, or you will lose 
it." The advice came from a quarter that 
commanded instant attention. Snow was 
immediately applied, and the bad effects 
prevented. 

1 myself, have guarded against being 
frost bitten, by using every necessary pre- 
caution; but I have not escaped altoge- 
ther. A few days ago, had I continued a 
little longer exposed to the cold wind, I 
must have experienced its effects to a much 



2.94 

greater extent than I did. I had been walk- 
ing quickly against the wind, which was bit- 
ter cold. I felt so much pain at last, that I 
was glad to turn my back on it, and get 
home as fast as I could. I found that one 
side of my face was somewhat swelled, 
much inflamed, and very hot. I am as- 
sured, that had I persevered in walking 
against the wind, I most undoubtedly would 
have suffered severely. 

If I had continued under the influence 
of the frost a little longer, the painful sen- 
sation I felt, would have gone off, and I 
should have supposed that the wind had 
become milder; whereas, the ease I should 
have felt would have arisen from my sensa- 
tions being blunted, the blood vessels at 
the surface having lost their tone. After 
this happens, the longer one continues ex- v 
posed to the cold, the greater is the pro- 
gress of insensibility. It ultimately per- 
vades all the extremities; drowsiness en- 
sues. You would willingly lie down on the 
snow, were no one near to prevent you.— • 
You would fall asleep, never to awake 
again ! 

I know a gentleman, who was so far 



295 . 

gone, that he lay down on the snow, several 
times, from a desire to sleep ; and nothing' 
but the roughest usage from a person who 
fortunately was with him, prevented his 
doing so. It was absolutely necessary to 
kick and buffet him, to keep him awake. 
Had he gone to sleep, it most assuredly 
would have been the sleep of death ! 

Were one to choose their manner of 
weakening the grasp of the grim tyrant, 
there is not, probably, so easy a way of 
doing so, as by the benumbing, soporific in- 
fluence of frost. 

A friend of mine, some time ago, found 
a man lying on the snow, in the neigh- 
bourhood of Quebec, quite dead ; he was 
at a little distance from the road ; he had 
probably got benumbed by the cold, and 
had stepped aside to indulge, for a few 
minutes, his desire of sleep. Poor man ! 
he awakened no more ! His. countenance 
bore no marks of suffering : it was as placid 
and unruffled as if the heart had still con- 
tinued to beat, and the blood to circulate. 

The manner in which a cold iron and a 
cold atmosphere affect the body, is very dif- 
ferent. The cold iron deprives the body 



296 
of its heat in such a violent manner, as 
quite to derange the part in contact, rup- 
ture the blood vessels, and destroy their 
continuity. The cold atmosphere deprives 
the parts (on which it acts) of their heat in 
a less violent manner : the blood vessels 
are not ruptured, nor the continuity of the 
parts destroyed, but both are so strongly 
acted upon that their functions are de- 
stroyed. The blood vessels no longer re- 
tail the powers of expansion and repul- 
sion. It is well ascertained, that air is de- 
composed in the lungs, and parts with its 
caloric to the blood, which carries it through 
the system. Shall I hazard a conjecture ? 
Heat (in cases where frost proves fa- 
tal), is perhaps taken off from the body, 
faster than it can be supplied by the lungs 
to the blood, and carried into circulation. 
A general torpor, a stoppage of the circula- 
tion of thetluids, — death, in short, ensues. 

One would naturally enough suppose, 
that an effect occasioned by cold should be 
removed by heat. This idea has occasioned 
theloss of many a limb. It has generally 
been supposed, that cold is a material sub- 
stance, of a nature directly opposed to 



297 
heat. This is now generally allowed to be 
an error, there being; no such substance as 
cold — no such thing in nature. The word 
expresses a negative quality, viz. the ab- 
sence of heat. 

Impressed with the idea that heat must 
be a good remedy for evils produced by cold, 
hot water has been often applied to parts 
that have been frost bitten, and tbe conse- 
quences have always been fatal. The rea- 
son appears to be this, that the part frost 
bitten, having become diseased by the heat 
of the body rushing violently, and in great 
quantity, out from it, the application of 
hot water will make the heat rush violently 
into it; and if any part of the work of de- 
struction remains undone, the heat of the 
warm water will do it. Experience has 
proved, that the application necessary to 
restore the parts to their wonted tone, 
must be of a very moderate degree of 
heat— very little, indeed, above freezing. 
The heat may then insinuate itself so gra- 
dually and gently, as not to increase the 
evil. Snow, or cold water, have been 
found to be the most efficacious applica- 
tions, being of a temperature sufficiently 



298 

low, yet still possessing a degree of heat 
sufficient to produce an effect on the parts, 
and restore circulation ; or, perhaps, the 
caloric, or animal heat, meeting with snow, 
a non-conductor, may remain in the part 
frost bitten, and, of itself, restore it to its 
proper tone. 

Excuse me for troubling you with these 
speculations. I own that they are rather 
out of my province, though not altogether 
foreign, in considering the effects of a Ca- 
nadian winter. I have yet some details to 
give you of the effects of frost, which must 
be quite new to you. Professing to make 
you acquainted with this country, I should 
but ill perform my task, did I omit any 
point of information essential for giving 
you a knowledge of winter, which occupies 
one half the year. In my next communi- 
cation I shall endeavour to make good my 
promise. 






299 



LETTER XX. 



Quebec, 1S08. 

In giving you the striking features of the 
Canadian winter, I ought not to omit, that 
during the most severe cold in January, a 
great and very sudden change takes place 
almost every year, and continues for a day 
or two. From a most severe frost, when 
the thermometer shewed 60 degrees below 
the freezing point, it suddenly became so 
warm, that the thermometer shewed three 
degrees above freezing. In short, the wea- 
ther this winter changed in a few hours 
from nearly the greatest degree of cold that 
ever was known here, to a complete thaw. 
It is a law of nature, that when fluids be- 
come solid, heat is given out to~the atmo- 
sphere. On this principle, when water be- 
comes ice, heat must be giyen out ; and an 
accumulation of this heat may produce 



soo 

the thaw experienced, in Canada, in the 
middle of winter. 

Such a great and sudden change is pro- 
ductive of very unpleasant sensations. The 
stoves, and winter clothing, are quite op- 
pressive ; and } 7 et, it is dangerous to at- 
tempt to dispense with either, for j^ou, every 
hour, look for a return of the cold weather. 
Fortunately, it does not in general continue 
many days ; sometimes, however, it has 
been known to last ten or fourteen days ; 
and, when this is the case, it is of very se- 
rious injury to the country in a variety of 
ways. It is extremely prejudicial to the 
health of the people. The streets are so 
inundated with water from the melting of 
the snow, that you cannot walk out; and 
the roads become so soft, and the rivers so 
full of water, that you cannot use a cariole, 
or travel, indeed, in any mode. But, 
what is a much more serious evil than all 
these things, the provisions which were 
destined to serve through the winter, be- 
come thawed, and are either destroyed al- 
together, or greatly injured. 

It is surprising, that although this cir- 
cumstance has occurred frequently, and 



301 

the people are subject to it every year, 
yet there is not much attention paid to 
putting the provisions in such a situation, 
and packing them up in such a manner, as 
to effectually prevent their being accessi- 
ble to the warm air, during the thaw. It 
might be done very easily : Let them be 
packed in a tight box or cask, after being 
completely frozen, and this box or cask 
put into another, large enough to admit of 
its being surrounded with pounded ice and 
snow, which would act as a perfect non- 
conductor of heat, and preserve the con- 
tents of the inner box in their frozen state 
for a great length of time. The outer box 
should have holes in its bottom, to allow 
any water to run out, which might arise 
from the melting of the snow. This method 
has, I believe, been tried with success; but 
it is by no means in general use. 

During the thaw, a very extraordinary 
effect is produced, sometimes, on the trees. 
The Canadians call it a ver-glas. The 
tree, from the trunk to the point of the 
smallest branch, becomes incrusted with 
pure ice. There may be a small degree 
of frost during the night, which will freeze 



502 

the moisture that covered the trees dur- 
ing the day; and it is probable that the 
external parts of the trees themselves, be- 
ing cooled down below the freezing point, 
by the extreme cold of the previous wea- 
ther, freeze the vapour, the moment it comes 
in contact with them; in the same way that 
the glass of a window in winter becomes 
incrusted with ice by the freezing of the 
moisture in the air of a room. The branches 
become at last so loaded with ice, that they 
can with difficulty support the weight of 
it ; and if there happens to come a storm 
of wind, which was the case lately, the 
branches infallibly break off, and the de- 
struction amongst trees of all sorts is im- 
mense. I see every day the effects of the 
last ver-glas. Branches of trees, from six 
to twelve inches in diameter, are seen every 
where hanging from the trees, completely 
broken down. 

I am told, that there can be nothing 
more curious or beautiful than one of those 
ice-incrusted trees when the sun shines 
upon it. Indeed, one can easily conceive 
that it must have the appearance of fairy 
work, or enchantment. 



303 

In order that I might be able to ascer- 
tain correctly the state and changes of the 
atmosphere, both external and internal, I 
kept a thermometer suspended in a north- 
ern exposure, both on the outside and in- 
side of the window. The thermometer on 
the inside was within half an inch of the 
glass. I observed a circumstance which 
marked strongly the extreme cold of the 
external atmosphere. 

It was between three and four o'clock 
in the afternoon ; the room had been kept 
very warm during the whole of the morn- 
ing; and, at the time, I observed that the 
thermometer shewed ?3. though almost 
touching the ice on the window. Not- 
withstanding of this, the inside of the win- 
dow remained covered with ice, in the way 
you sometimes see it in England, in the 
morning, after a severe frost. 

This not only proves the severity of the 
frost, but also that glass is a very bad con- 
ductor of heat ; else it would have been af- 
fected, and penetrated by the heat, in such 
a manner as to counteract the operation of 
the cold air of the atmosphere ; but the 
cold was so intense, as to destroy and ab- 



304 

sorb, as it were, the heat, faster than it 
could be received from the atmosphere of 
the room, notwithstanding its being so very 
much wanned. 

You will probably suppose that a room, 
at the temperature of 73. must be uncom- 
fortably hot. It is beyond what summer 
heat in England usually shews. I, like all 
other Englishmen, came to this country, 
strongly prejudiced against stoves and 
warm rooms ; but I have found that warm 
rooms are very comfortable in cold wea- 
ther; and that they are more likely to be 
comfortable, if heated by a stove, than if 
by an open fire-place. 

The prejudices against stoves are, I 
think, ill founded. When one who has not 
been accustomed to it, comes into a room 
heated by a stove, he is struck with the 
equal degree of warmth that prevails; and 
he is apt to fancy the air is close, meaning, 
I suppose, unwholesome; he probably 
throws open a window, and cold air imme- 
diately rushes in. I question if that is more 
wholesome ; a strong current of air is pro- 
duced, from which very bad effects often 
arise. 



305 

Where the air of a room is kept uni- 
formly warm, it must be changing every 
moment. By being heated, it is rarified 
and presses upwards ; its place is supplied 
by the cold air from without, which, being 
more dense, rushes in at every little crevice 
in the lower part of the room. 

The principal advantage arising from 
the uniform heat of a stove, is, that the 
walls of the room become warmed, and 
communicate their warmth to the air which * 
comes into the room, and gets in contact 
with them. In a room, the walls of which 
are cold, if the air is heated and rarified^ 
it will be cooled and condensed the mo- 
ment it comes in contact with the cold 
walls ; and as by condensation it becomes 
heavier, it will rush downwards, produc- 
ing a current of air towards the floor, which 
will be felt by those sitting close to the 
wall. 

You will uniformly see these observa- 
tions exemplified in assembly rooms and 
churches, the walls of which, being cold, 
condense the warm air. By condensation, 
it parts with the moisture which it held in 
solution, and which is seen running down 

x 



306 

the walls in streams. All rooms which are 
not meant to be frequently used, such as 
assembly rooms, ought to be plastered on 
laths, or, what would be better still, pa- 
pered, or painted on canvas. In the lat- 
ter case, at least, I should suppose they ne- 
ver would be so cold as to condense the air^ 
and produce the effects above mentioned. 

I must own, I am a friend to warmth. 
It is said, that by custom, we may inure 
ourselves to cold, in such a manner as to 
render our bodies in some degree insensible 
to it; but supposing this to be attained, 
it does not follow that its pernicious effects 
on us are prevented. Rheumatisms, and 
other diseases, may be the consequence. 

The Canadians keep their houses very 
hot; and they themselves, while exces- 
sively warm, go immediately into the cold 
air, without seeming to feel any inconve- 
nience from it; which would induce one to 
believe that the sudden transition from a 
hot room into the cold air, if the person be 
properly clothed, were not so dangerous 
as is generally imagined. This is further 
illustrated by the instances I have formerly 
mentioned of ladies and gentlemen going 



307 
into the cold night air, out of a warm ball- 
room, without suffering any inconvenience 
from it. 

I am disposed to join in the opinion of 
those who think that the living in a warm 
room, so far from weakening and making 
you delicate, as it is termed, and render- 
ing you unfit to bear cold, is the best pre- 
servative against the bad effects of cold, 
when you may be under the necessity of 
exposing yourself to it. 

It has been observed by an eminent 
philosopher, that if, during the time we are 
sitting still, the circulation of the blood is 
gradually and insensibly diminished by the 
cold which surrounds us, it is not possible 
that we should be able to support a great 
additional degree of cold, without sinking 
under it. We should be like water, which, 
by exposure to moderate cold in a state of 
rest, has been slowly cooled down below 
the freezing point; the smallest additional 
cold, or a small degree of agitation, changes 
it to ice in an instant ; but water, at a high 
temperature, will support the same degree 
of frost, for a considerable time, without 
appearing to be at all affected by it. 
In giving you facts, illustrative of the 



308 

severity of a Canadian winter, let me men- 
tion to you the experiments on bomb shells, 
made at Quebec some years ago, by a Ma- 
jor Williams, of the Artillery. I am ac- 
quainted here, with some gentlemen who 
witnessed the experiments : they were made 
in order to ascertain the force of the expan- 
sion of freezing water : they are curious ; 
and you, perhaps, have not met with them 
in the course of your reading. 

These experiments were made on iron 
shells of different sizes, from the 13-inch 
shell, to the cohorn of four inches diameter. 
The shells were nearly filled with water, and 
an iron plug was driven in at the fuze hole, 
by a sledge hammer. It was found, how- 
ever, that the plug could never be driven 
so firmly into the fuze hole, as to resist the 
expanding ice, which pushed it out with 
great force and velocity, and a bolt or cy- 
linder of ice immediately shot up from the 
hole : but when a plug was used that had 
springs, which would expand, and lay hold 
of the inside of the cavity, so that it could 
not possibly be pushed out, the force of 
the expansion split the shell. 

The amazing force of expansion in con- 
gelation is also shewn from the distance to 



309 
which these iron plugs were thrown out of 
the fuze hole. A plug of two pounds and 
a half weight was thrown no less than 415 
feet from the shell ; the fuze axis was at an 
angle of 45; the thermometer shewed 51 
degrees below the freezing point. Here 
you see ice and gunpowder performing 
the same operations. That similar effects 
should proceed from such dissimilar causes 
is very extraordinary. 

The expanding force of freezing water 
acts powerfully on all bodies exposed to its 
operation. Wherever water lodges, and is 
at all confined, as in the cracks and fis- 
sures of rocks, or in the walls of houses, 
the effects of its expansion are felt. Masses 
of rock are severed from the mountain's 
brow, and precipitated into the valleys 
below. There the frost again acts upon 
them, and they are reduced from one size 
to another, until they become an earth. — 
In agriculture, the effects of the expansion 
of freezing water are well known. The 
farmer finds, that by > ploughing a strong 
soil, and exposing it to the operation of the 
winter's frost, the hard clods are broken 
down and pulverised, and the soil is better 



310 

fitted to receive the seed, and give it nou- 
rishment. 

In Canada, the walls of the houses are 
usually plastered on the outside, to pre- 
serve the stone from moisture, and the con- 
sequent • destructive effects of the frost. 
They find it, however, a very difficult mat- 
ter to get plaster to adhere; particularly 
if exposed to the easterly wind, which, in 
one winter, destroys almost any plaster 
they can use: A composition has lately 
been tried, which promises to answer bet- 
ter. About a couple of pounds of Mus- 
covado sugar are mixed with a bushel of 
lime ; and it makes a very hard and durable 
mixture, for rough casting. In places the 
most exposed to easterly wind, it has re- 
mained hard and fast, after a fair trial. 

Before I close this letter, let me men- 
tion to you the assistance the Canadians 
receive from their dogs, which they employ 
for a variety of domestic purposes. 1 for- 
merly mentioned to you the speed and the 
hard work to which the Canadian horse 
was frequently put; but he is not the only 
beast of burden here, or, I should rather 
say, of draught. The Canadians make 



311 

much use of dogs for drawing light weights. 
You frequently see a single dog draw a 
small cart, or sledge, loaded with more 
than 200lbs. weight of different articles. — 
In the winter, in addition to this weight* 
you see the man who drivess,tanding on the 
sledge, and dragged along with great speed, 
if there is a gentle declivity. The weight 
they are made to draw, is really incredible. 
Nor are they very large dogs, or of any 
particular species: you see them of all 
sorts and sizes, with carts or sledges, in pro- 
portion to their strength. The butchers em- 
ploy them for transporting meat to their 
customers in different parts of the town : 
they use small carts in summer, and sledges 
in winter ; the dogs are fitted with a com- 
plete set of harness, and two or three of 
them are sometimes yoked to the same cart 
or sleigh. People employ them too, in 
bringing water from the river; in drag- 
ging small carriages with children; and, 
in short, in all domestic purposes where a 
moderate weight is to be transported. They 
certainly might be used in Britain with 
great advantage, in many cases ; because a 
boy can attend them, and make than draw 
a great deal more than he can carry. 



312 



LETTER XXL 

Quebec, 1805, 

jNo part of the Canadian winter is more 
interesting than the conclusion of it, when 
the snow begins to disappear, and the ice 
in the rivers to break up, which is the case 
in the end of April. 

One would naturally suppose, that six 
months frost and snow would have become 
insufferably tiresome to a stranger. I can 
assure you I have not found it so. 

The winter may be divided into three 
seasons, or portions, as it were : for two 
months at the beginning, the snow is fall- 
ing, and the frost becoming daily more 
severe. We are amused by making ob- 
servations upon it, and by the novelty 
of our situation, and our consequent ha- 
bits. The middle two months of severe 
frost is not without interest : we then see 
winter in all his majesty, after he has bound 
up the lakes and rivers in fetters of ice, 
and covered the earth as with a mantle. 



313 

The last two months are interesting, be- 
cause we are anxious to see by what means, 
and in what manner, such an immensity of 
snow and ice is to be got rid of. 

The influence of the sun is little felt in 
February. In March, however, you are 
sensible of its power; and, during this 
month, the weather in general is very beau- 
tiful ; the frost is still sufficiently severe to 
keep the roads hard and good ; the sky is 
clear, the sun shines bright ; it is pleasant 
to get into a cariole, and drive a few miles 
into the country. During the month of 
April, the influence of the sun has been so 
great, as powerfully to affect all nature.*— 
The snow has nearly disappeared about the 
first week in May ; the ice in the lakes and 
rivers is broken up, by the increase of wa- 
ter from the melting of snow, and it is 
floated down to the great river St. Law- 
rence, where it accumulates in immense 
quantities, and is carried up and down with 
the tide. 

At this time the St. Lawrence presents 
one of the most extraordinary scenes in na- 
ture. You cannot form an adequate idea 



314 

of it, without being a spectator. From 
ba*ik to bank, it is quite choaked up with 
immense masses and sheets of ice ; some of 
them from 4 to 500 yards in diameter. — 
The tide forces them on one another, breaks 
them into smaller pieces, and raises them 
in shelving and fantastic forms, consider- 
ably above the surface. This mass of mov- 
ing ice fills the whole bason, and is seen as 
far up the river as your eye can reach — a 
distance altogether of twelve to fifteen 
miles. 

While the river was in this state, we 
were astonished to see a vessel from Eng- 
land come round point Levi, into the ba- 
son. The arrival of the first vessel from 
England is hailed as a joyful circumstance. 
You cannot imagine what a crowd of 
pleasurable ideas fills the mind on this oc- 
casion. All classes and descriptions of 
people are interested in it. The merchant, 
the tradesman, and the labourer, have an 
immediate prospect of beginning their ope- 
rations, of putting a period to a state of 
idleness, and of supplying the wants of 
their families, which, necessarily, will oftea 



315 

be felt, after being six months with little or 
no employment. The military men have 
a more immediate prospect of communi- 
cating with their friends at home, and of 
having more frequent intelligence of what 
is going on in Europe. In short, a thou- 
sand agreeable associations are formed in 
the mind, which may be more easily con- 
ceived than described. 

The vessel arrived on the 28th of April, 
which is about a fortnight sooner than 
usual. Indeed, for these last forty years, I 
am well informed, there have been only two 
vessels that have arrived so soon. The ri- 
ver being still full of ice, it was curious, and 
at the same time terrific, to see the vessel, 
with all sails set, surrounded by, and fixed 
amongst, these immense pieces of ice, mov- 
ing backwards and forwards with the tide, 
whichever way it led, Anchors and ca^ 
bles were of no use; the only object, — the 
only chance of safety, was to take advan- 
tage of some occasional opening amongst 
the sheets of ice, by which she might be 
forced out of the stream. An opportu- 
nity fortunately occurred ; it was imme^ 



316 

diately seized, the wind being strong and 
favourable ; and she was brought to the 
quay, and safely moored. 

People went off to her assistance im- 
mediately on her appearing, and they had 
much difficulty in reaching her; but they 
did so at last, with the assistance of ca- 
noes, which they paddled when an open- 
ing occurred, and hauled over the ice 
when necessary. It was an extraordinary 
sight to see people jump off the sheets of 
ice, into the main-chains of the vessel. 

One might have thought, that these 
immense masses of ice coming against the 
sides of the vessel, would have stove them 
in; she received no injury however. In 
fact, the ice at this season has been so 
acted upon by the warmth of the weather, 
that its hardness is greatly lessened. It 
seems to preserve much of its thickness ; 
but it has become perforated, honey- 
combed, and full of water, so that the 
concussion on the vessel was reduced to 
almost nothing. Ice of the same apparent 
magnitude, in the month of Jauuary, would 
have squeezed the vessel to pieces. 



317 

Notwithstanding this vessel suffered 
no injury, there was a considerable risk of 
her being forced on shore. 

In the fall of the year the risk of ship- 
wreck is greatly increased, from the snow 
storms prevalent at that time. These 
storms not only prevent the sailors from 
seeing the coast and the landmarks, and 
consequently from directing their course 
properly ; but the cold is then so severe, 
that the men cannot remain exposed to it. 
The cordage becomes incrusted with ice, 
so that it cannot run through the blocks, 
and the sails become frozen in such a man- 
ner, that there is no possibility of working 
the ship ; besides* so much ice gets about 
the rudder that it becomes immoveable* 
Many vessels have been lost from these 
circumstances, and almost every winter, 
some vessels sail in expectation of getting 
out of the river ; but, being caught in a 
snow storm, are very fortunate if they escape 
destruction, by getting into some bay or 
place of shelter, where they remain fixed 
for the winter. 

No sooner is the influence of the April 
sun felt, than you see birds of various kinds 



318 

Returning to their summer quartets; and 
vegetation about the 10th of May is very 
strong. The snow is nearly gone, and the 
frost is sufficiently out of the ground to 
allow the farmer to commence his opera- 
tions. This takes place after the snow is 
gone,sooner than one would imagine. The 
frost does not penetrate so deep into the 
ground, as from the intenseness, and long 
continuance of the cold, might be ex- 
pected. 

In countries where you have six months 
frost, were the soil exposed to its influence 
all the while, it would have penetrated so 
deep, that I question if the heat of a whole 
summer would eradicate it. But Pro- 
vidence has furnished a remedy: it has 
kindly decreed, that when water is cooled 
down to 32°. it shall freeze, and be con- 
verted into ice and snow. The rivers be- 
come covered with ice, the surface of the 
earth becomes hardened, snow falls to a 
considerable thickness, and bv these means 
the water and the land are protected from 
the influence of that immense volume of 
cold, dense atmosphere, which presses on, 
from the polar regions towards the south. 



319 
when the sun retreats after the solstice. 

The natural heat of the earth is about 42 ; 
the thermometer stands at this point in 
the deepest mines that have Leen sunk. 
This natural heat as well as the heat accu- 
mulated in the earth and water during 
summer, is prevented, by the ice and 
snow, from making its escape; and as 
so >n as the return of the sun has brought 
warmth enough to banish the frost from 
the asmosphere, the latent heat of the 
earth and water lends its aid in dissolv- 
ing the snow and ice, and forwarding ve- 
getation. Snow is peculiarly well calcu- 
lated for preserving warmth in the earth ; 
because it is full of air, which is known to 
be a very bad conductor of heat, and will, 
of course, the more effectually prevent its 
escaping from the surface. It is a thing 
very well ascertained here, that vegetation 
has made some progress under the snow, be- 
fore it has deserted the ground. 

The long continuance of winter in Ca- 
nada is certainly a circumstance which 
must retard its progress in improvement, 
and the increase of its trade. Some peo- 
ple pretend to say, that it must ever pre- 
vent its becoming a great, populous, and 



320 

trading nation. I cannot go so far. We 
have seen Russia, in the course of a cen- 
tury, become a great, populous, and trad- 
ing nation. We have seen a splendid ca-* 
pital city, and many respectable towns, 
raised by the magical powers of commerce, 
and domestic industry ; and yet the Rus- 
sian winter is as long as the Canadian win- 
ter. The communication of the Russians, 
by water, with the rest of the world is cut 
off, and that element confounded, as it 
were, with the land, from the 27th of No- 
vember, to the 19th of April (upon an 
average calculation of 15 years), which is 
nearly five months. Now vessels some- 
times leave Quebec as late as the begin- 
ning of December, and arrive sometimes 
in the end of April, so that the Neva is as 
long shut up as the St. Lawrence ; yet no- 
body ever doubts that Russia is a rising 
country, and may become the most power- 
ful in Europe. 

It is worthy of remark, and not a little 
surprising, that so large a river as the St. 
Lawrence, in latitude 47, should be shut 
up with ice as soon, and continue as long 
shut up, as the comparatively small river, 
the Neva, in latitude 60. 



321 

Could the husbandman, the labourer, and 
all those whose trade or profession in Canada 
lead them to work in the open air, follow 
their occupations all the year round, it cer- 
tainly would be of great advantage to the 
country, and to the people. At present, a 
great proportion of the people are obliged 
to live twelve months on six months work, 
which implies their receiving double wages. 
This is certainly the case ; wages are very 
high ; 4, 5, to 6s. a day are given, accord- 
ing to the kind of w r ork, and merit of the 
workman. The idleness of their winter life 
has other bad effects. It generates habits 
prejudicial to exertion ; so that, in summer 
even, they do not perform so much work 
as men who are in habits of industry all the 
year round. At the same time I must say, 
that the lower classes in this country dress 
as well, and appear to live as comfortably, 
as the same classes of people do in any coun- 
try in Europe. 



Y 



S22 



LETTER XXII. 



Quebec, 1808, 



I have now, my worthy friend, been a 
sojourner in Canada for a considerable 
length of time. If it is not a land abound- 
ing in all the luxuries and elegancies of life, 
it undeniably is a land of peace and 
plenty. 

My further experience has enabled me 
to confirm the truth of the statements I 
have already sent you, relative to the com- 
merce of Canada ; and to verify the obser- 
vations I have ventured to make on the 
country, and its inhabitants, in physical 
and moral points of view. 

I did not imagine that my letters would 
have reached the extent they have done. 
One thing leads on to another ; and it is diffi- 
cult to know where to stop. Perhaps you 
could have told me very easily : be that as 



323 

it may, I must go on a little further, I 
have proceeded so far in drawing a portrait 
of Canada, that I should be sorry to omit 
any feature which might leave the resem- 
blance doubtful. It would be more cor- 
rect, were I to say the outlines of a por- 
trait, for it is devoid of colouring and of 
ornaments yet I think it will be recognized 
by those who know the original. 

I have, in a former letter, made some 
remarks on the government of Canada; 
but I have not said any thing, either as to 
the precise nature of the constitution, or 
the exact boundaries of the country. Se- 
veral points connected with these objects 
demand attention, particularly the state of 
the public mind, in so far as regards the 
connexion with, and dependance on, Great 
Britain. 

By the act of parliament, passed in 
1791, it is enacted, " That there shall be, 
within each of the provinces of Upper and 
Lower Canada, <f legislative council, and 
house of assembly, who, with the consent of 
the governor, appointed by the king, shall 
have pofrer to make laws." — Bills, though 
they have passed, both the assembly and 



324 
the council, may, by the governor, be refer- 
red to the king, and do not become laws 
till his assent k procured. When the go- 
vernor assents for his Majesty, the bill be- 
comes a law : but copies of such laws are 
sent home to the Secretary of State, and 
his Majesty may declare his dissatisfaction 
#tany time within two years. 

The legislative council is to consist of 
not less than seven members for Upper 
Canada, and fifteen for Lower Canada, to 
be summoned by the governor. The mem- 
bers are to hold their seats for life, unless 
forfeited by four years continued absence, 
or by swearing allegiance to some foreign 
power. The king may grant hereditary ti- 
tles, by letters patent ; with a right of sit- 
ting as legislative counsellors. But this right 
of creating a Canadian nobility has not as 
yet been exercised. 

The house of assembly is to consist of 
not less than sixteen members for Up- 
per Canada ; and not less than fifty mem- 
bers for Lower Canada; to be chosen by 
the freeholders in the several towns and 
counties. The members for the counties are 
chosen by those who possess real pro- 



325 

perty of the yearly value of 40s. The 
voters for the towns must possess a house, 
or land, of the yearly value of 51. sterling ; 
or have been residents a year, and paid 
101. a year rent. The council and assem- 
bly are to be called together at least once 
a year; and every assembly is to continue 
four years, unless sooner dissolved, which 
it is in the power of the governor to do, as 
soon, and as often, as he pleases. Every 
voter must, if called upon, take an oath 
that he is qualified to vote according to 
law. The governors of the two provinces 
are perfectly independent of each other in 
their civil capacity. In military affairs, 
the governor of Lower Canada takes pre- 
cedence, as he is usually created Captain 
General of his Majesty's forces in North 
America, 

B} r an act passed in the parliament of 
Great Britain, in the 18th year of his pre- 
sent Majesty, intituled, " An act for remove 
ing all doubts and apprehensions concern- 
ing taxations by the parliament of Great 
Britain, in the colonies, provinces, and 
plantations in North America, and the 
West Indies," &c. Parliament restrained 



326 

restrained itself for ever, from imposing^ 
taxes or duties in the colonies, except for 
the regulation of trade; the produce of 
such taxes or duties to be disposed of bj 
the provincial legislature. 

"Whether the British government did 
right in giving Canada a provincial assem- 
bly, has been frequently a subject of dis- 
cussion here. Much, of course, may be 
said on both sides : for my own part, I 
have no hesitation in saying, that, in my 
opinion, it was premature. 

An infant colony is something like an 
infant child, and should be treated in the 
same manner. It would be considered ex- 
tremely unwise to put a very young man, 
of large fortune, in possession of his es- 
tates, and allow him to have the manage- 
ment of them. The most promising youth 
would not be trusted to such an extent : 
but if he was known to possess strong pas- 
sions, and, instead of being well grounded 
in his education, he had been neglected, — 
his mind uncultivated, bad habits acquired, 
strong prejudices and antipathies against 
his guardians imbibed, with every wish to 
be troublesome to them, every desire to 



327 

throw off their superintending care, and 
either to take the reins into his own un- 
steady, feeble hands, or invite to his aid 
the greatest enemies the guardians have, 
would not the guardians be justly accused 
of acting a foolish part, were they, not- 
withstanding all this, to put it in the power 
of the young man to accomplish his wishes 
either in whole or in part ? 

This is precisely the case of the British 
government and Canada. The comparison 
I have made between the Canadians and 
an ignorant headstrong youth, will no 
doubt be deemed by them highly Anti- 
Canadian, yet I think it will hold good in 
every point. 

They will pretend to be indignant at 
the idea of their having a wish to throw 
off the superintending care of Britain, and 
to give a preference to France ; and I do 
believe that a great many of them would be 
sincere in their indignation, because pruden- 
tial considerations might predominate with 
these; or they may have reasoned them- 
selves into the conviction that any change 
must be for the worse : but I would not 
do the great body of the people the in- 



328 

justice to suppose, that they have not the 
wish again to see the French in Canada. 
I judge of them from myself, and from what 
I conceive to be the necessary tendency of 
human nature, Were Bonaparte and his 
Frenchmen to get possession of Canada, or 
Nova Scotia, I do not believe that there is 
a British subject in either of these colonies, 
unbiassed by considerations relative to his 
own personal emolument, who would ever 
cease to wish for the return of their coun- 
trymen. 

Children would imbibe prepossessions 
against the French; they would be ac- 
customed to hear lamentations for the days 
that were passed ; their young minds would 
be early impressed with the greatness and 
goodness of the British nation ; prejudices 
and antipathies would take possession of 
them ; it is not in nature that it should be 
otherwise. Were the English (as the 
French are now) the majority in this coun- 
try, would the French put the government 
into their hands ? Most assuredly not : the 
English would not expect it; nor would 
they expect to have places of trust, of 
confidence, and of emolument. They 



329 
would naturally say, the French cannot 
be blamed for prefering their own coun- 
trymen and friends ;— it is an effect of con- 
quest, and though unpleasant to us, must be 
endured, like many other unpleasant effects 
of it. We have the fullest protection for 
our persons and property, there is no bar 
to our industry, no hinderance to us in 
the exertion of our talents in every branch 
of trade ; we enjoy the free exercise of our 
religion ; we are elegible to all the offices un- 
der government, if we have interest enough 
to get them ; and, indeed, our not having 
it, is no gre^t loss, as most of these situa- 
tions are not worth having; an industrious 
man with a certain degree of talent being 
almost always able to do better by his own 
personal exertions, in either commerce, 
manufactures, or agriculture. In short, 
what have we to complain of — that the 
French are richer than we are— that they 
are more commercial — that they are more 
trusted by their countrymen than we are ?— 
Ought we to cdmplain of these things ? — 
Certainly not. If we have not capital, or 
industry, or knowledge, it is not their 
fault; there is no bar to our acquiring those 



330 

things ; and as we are the majority, our 
countrymen would certainly give us the 
preference both in purchases and sales, if 
they found their account in it. 

By thus changing sides with the Cana- 
dians, the argument appears in a stronger 
point of view. I really do not see what 
they have to complain of; and yet they 
are very much dissatisfied. 

Their dissatisfaction has lately had 
vent through the medium of a newspaper 
edited at Quebec in the French language. 
I have taken notice of it in a previous let- 
ter. They call it " Le Canadien" It 
affords to a certain class of the community 
a mode of expressing their feelings, to 
which they wish to give as extensive a cir- 
culation as possible. If one were really to 
believe thattherearegroundsfor all thathas 
appeared in this paper against the English, 
it would be concluded that the Canadians 
are the most oppressed people in the world. 

I have taken pains to find out if they 
have any real cause of complaint — if they 
are oppressed or maltreated in any one 
way; but I have looked for it in vain. 1 
have every wish to do them justice, and 



331 

would gladly state to you any circumstance 
to justify their apparent dissatisfaction ; but 
really, I cannot find any. I am afraid I 
must look for it only in their own tempers 
and dispositions, influenced by the peculi- 
arity of their situation, as descendants of 
those who formerly had entire possession of 
the country, and of its government, civil 
and military ; and who feel sore at being 
deprived of any part of the inheritance of 
their fathers. 

Perhaps they are displeased that they 
have not a greater share of what are called 
the loaves and fishes ; and I have heard 
them express great displeasure at an Eng- 
lishman having received a pension on the 
Canada establishment, or an increase of 
salary. 

As to the loaves and fishes, their dis- 
content is extremely unreasonable ; they 
expect a line of conduct from the English, 
that the English would not experience from 
them, were situations changed ; but the 
fact is, they hold a large share<of the pub- 
lic employments. 

As to pensions on their establishment, 
their displeasure on that account arises 



332 

from their not knowing the real state of 
the finances and resources of the country. 
The more pensions that are granted to En- 
glishmen residing in Canada, the better 
for the country ; the province gains by it. 

The civil list, including the whole civil 
expenditure of the province of Lower Ca- 
nada for 1806, amounted to 30,^13/. 11 s. 
8di. sterling; but of this sum the pro- 
vince paid only l6,% L 27L 14s. Od^. as ap- 
pears by the accounts laid before the House 
of Assembly ; the remainder was paid out 
of the military chest, from funds raised by 
draughts on the British government. Now 
as Britain already pays more than the half 
of the civil list, it is evident that every 
pension added to this list is paid by the 
British government. Every additional pen- 
sion operates in the, same way that an 
additional regiment sent to the country 
does; and I doubt not that the Canadians 
are well aware, that, independent of de- 
fence, the more troops that are sent to the 
country the better ; the demand for the 
fruits of their industry is increased. 

It is to be regretted that those amongst 
the Canadians who are looked up to by 



333 

their countrymen, and whose opinions pass 
current under the idea of their having been 
formed after due deliberation, and after hav- 
ing well studied the matter, should be so 
negligent of their duty to their country- 
men, as to publish opinions, and make as- 
sertions not well founded, and without 
having duly considered and well under- 
stood the subject; such men do great in- 
jury to society. If any discontent exists 
in the country, any idea of oppression, or 
rnal-ad ministration in government, such 
men are the cause of it. 

It certainly is a possible case, that " Le 
Canadien" is connected with French poli- 
tics, either directly or indirectly ; either by 
agents of Bonaparte, or by agents of the 
French party in America. The agents of 
France have been detected in almost every 
nation on earth. They have been detected 
in Ireland, and they infest every court on 
the continent of Europe. They have spread 
over Persia, and the peninsula of India. 
They have been very successful in the 
United States. Is it then to be thought, 
that Canada alone, where circumstances 



334 

are so favourable to their exertions, should 
be exempted from their attacks ? 

The great mass of the people are 
quiet and inoffensive* If left to them- 
selves they would be troublesome to no 
body; and notwithstanding their natural 
predilection for the French (nos pauvres 
gens, our poor people, as they still call 
them), I believe, that at present any order 
from our government would be as much 
attended to in Canada, as in Britain. 

It is true, the government has some- 
times attempted measures which have 
failed. But this, perhaps, arose from want 
of perseverance on the part of government; 
or from their not adopting means adequate 
to the end in view. Amongst other mea- 
sures which have failed, I could mention 
the introduction of the EnglLh language 
into the country. As this is a very impor- 
tant point, I shall make it the subject of 
another letter. 



335 



LETTER XXIII. 

Quebec, 1808. 

At the time of the conquest, forty years 
ago, Canada contained such a mere hand- 
ful of people, that it would have been no 
difficult matter to have introduced the 
English language very generally, in the 
towns at least. Some steps have been 
taken for that purpose from time to time, 
but have failed of success, from want of 
energy on the part of government. Eng- 
lish schools have been established in some 
parts of the country, but few, or none, of 
the Canadians have ever sent their children, 
to them. 

Government, from the beginning, in- 
stead of shewing a decided preference to 
their own language, adopted a temporising 
system, which left the Canadians without a 
motiveto learn English. Had the knowledge 
of the English language always been held 



336 

out asa recommendation to favour, andapre- 
ference given on that account, where other 
qualifications were equal — had English 
alone prevailed in the courts of justice, and 
in all departments of state, and public of- 
fices ; it is highly probable that it would 
have been the general language of the coun- 
try at the present moment : at least, it 
would have become a necessary part of the 
education of the better sort of people ; as 
they could not have appeared at the go- 
vernor's without it, nor have had any thing 
to say, either in the provincial parliament, 
or courts of justice. Had the leading men 
of the country been Englified, their influ- 
ence would have been felt by the lower 
classes; and you might now, in a great 
measure, have had a colony of Englishmen, 
instead of Frenchmen. I may be told that 
language is only sound, and that a man 
may have good principles, whatever lan- 
guage he speaks. All that may be very 
true ; but I deny that the descendants of 
Frenchmen, retaining the French language, 
manners, and customs, and constantly talk- 
ing of the French as their progenitors, 
can ever be good British subjects, or enter 
heartily into her interests. The French- 



S37 
nian's amor patina is not easily rooted out ; 
nay, nor any other man's amor patrice. It 
can only be done by giving a proper direc- 
tion to the minds of young people ; to ac- 
complish which not the least pains are 
taken in Canada. 

It seems highly expedient, and decidedly 
for the advantage of the Canadians them- 
selves, that the English language should be 
universally prevalent in Canada. In mak- 
ing this assertion, I am aware that I am 
flying in the face of the opinions of the 
Canadians —opinions strongly supported 
by all those passions and prejudices so na- 
tural to humanity. I do not greatly blame 
them. We all have opinions and preju- 
dices, of which we cannot easily get the 
better; and which, indeed, like the Cana- 
dians in the present case, we are at no great 
pains to conquer. But this does not alter 
their nature ; they still are wrong. Could 
the Canadians leave their minds open to 
conviction, I think they would scarcely be 
able to continue opposed to the conclusions 
I shall draw. 

Canada is become a part of the British 
empire, and the more closely it is connected 

z 



338 

with the body of the empire, the better for 
the whole. It is acknowledged universally, 
that the strength of a whole is increased by 
the union of the parts. If the junction of the 
branch to the trunk is defective, if a frac- 
ture exists, the nourishment given is check- 
ed — the advantages mutually received are 
weakened. This has ever been considered 
an axiom both in the natural and political 
world. Every impediment to a close con- 
nexion between Britain and Canada ought 
to be removed or avoided, in order that they 
may fully enjoy all the benefits arising 
from their connexion. I, for my own part, 
have no doubt that the English language not 
being the language of Canada, is an impe- 
diment of this sort. Did the Canadians 
speak the German language, the Italian, or 
any other language, the effect would be the 
same. I do not mean to enter into any view 
of the comparative value of the French and 
English languages; but one thing I will 
venture to say, which is, that the English is 
the language which the Canadians would 
find the most useful f and I think I can 
prove it to their satisfaction. 

I know well that it is generally said that 



339 
the French is the language most generally 
known ; and that all the world speak 
French. These observations are far from 
being literally true. No doubt, most gen- 
tlemen, who have had a liberal education, 
know the French language ; and you occa- 
sionally find some who speak it pretty well : 
but these are not the people with whom the 
Canadians are likely to be principally con- 
nected. Canada must, in time, become a 
great, populous, and trading country. Na- 
ture has given a great facility to mercan- 
tile intercourse ; the large lakes and rivers 
open up a vast extent of country; and they 
will infallibly be surrounded by a people 
who speak English, The Canadians (pi Lower 
Canada, to whom I beg leave to be under- 
stood to refer,) ought to recollect, that Ca- 
nada forms a part of America ; and that the 
language of America is English, and ever 
will be English. This too is the case with 
Upper Canada ; a circumstance which they 
ought not to overlook. I also take upon 
me to assert, that no language on earth is 
so generally and universally spoken, both as 
to the extent of the countries which use it, 
and the number of their inhabitants. This 



340 

may be thought a bold assertion, but it is 

true. 

English is the language not only of the 

British islands, but it is the language of the 
whole extent of America, from the frozen 
ocean to the gulf of Mexico. It is the lan- 
guage of a great part of the West Indies; 
it is the language of government, and mer- 
cantile men in the whole extent of the 
East Indies, a country as large as Europe ; 
not to mention its being the language of 
New Holland, (an immense continent of it- 
self;) and of the Cape of Good Hope, and 
many other British settlements : and, next 
to their own, it is the language generally 
used by mercantile men and seamen in 
Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and the Rus- 
sian empire : so that the English language 
may be said to be at present even, but will 
most assuredly, in the course of time, be 
the most universal of all languages. 

What the Canadians ought principally 
to regard is, that they must infallibly be 
surrounded by people who speak English, 
with whom it is their destiny to buy and 
sell, to traffic, and treat. They cannot 
turn to the right hand nor to the left with- 



341 
out being spoken to in English. If they 
go into Upper Canada, there they meet it; 
if they pass the bounds of the Seigneuries, 
in Lo^er Canada, again they find the want 
of the English language. It presses upon 
them on all sides ; so that, on this account 
alone, it is evidently the interest of the Ca- 
nadians to learn English ; not to mention 
how much it is their duty also to learn the 
language of the head, and executive part 
of the government. And let me remark, 
that those should be convincing arguments 
which shew us that both our interest and 
duty are connected with conviction. 

It is not in these different points of 
view alone, in which it is the interest of the 
Canadians to encourage, in their young 
people, a knowledge of English: they 
ought to look a little into futurity; their 
neighbours are more advanced in useful 
improvements than they are ; and although 
their parents have not done them justice, 
by putting it in their power to derive every 
advantage from their situation which it can 
yield, they ought not to retaliate on their 
children, by keeping them in equal igno- 
rance. How can they profit from the ex* 



342 

perience of their neighbours, if from an 
ignorance of language they cannot com- 
municate their ideas to each other ? 

It certainly is surprising that the Bri- 
tish government have paid so little atten- 
tion to this point. So long as there is 
peace in Canada, the language (to Britain 
at least) is of less consequence ; but, in 
case of war with America (which is at all 
events ^possible case), the speaking French, 
and French only, must be a bar to the 
Canadians co-operating with British troops, 
or acting with effect under the command of 
a British officer. In this view of the case, 
the conduct of our governors has, I think, 
been contrary to every principle of com- 
mon sense and prudence. 

In Lower Canada there are about 60,000 
militia. They are mustered at stated pe- 
riods ; and in the towns, they are clothed 
and armed, and have learned the business 
of soldiers so well, that they are fit to be 
brigaded with the troops of the line. One 
would naturally have supposed, that the 
Canadians and the English would have been 
mixed together, and taught their exercise 
in English, so as to do away, as much as 



343 
possible, the distinction of nations; and 
that they might all be in the habit of obey- 
ing a British officer, and acting under Bri- 
tish command. Precisely the reverse of all 
this has taken place. The English and 
Canadians are divided into separate corps. 
The Canadians are officered by their own 
people; taught their exercise in French; and 
form a perfectly distinct body from the 
English. If brigaded with English troops, 
they could not understand the word of 
command, nor act with effect. In short, 
if the governor of Canada had intended to 
make them fit materials for Bonaparte to 
use against us, he could not have resorted 
to a better plan than what has been adopt- 
ed here: upon this point all the world 
cry out; indeed it seems so absurd, it is 
hardly credible. 

There seems to be no doubt, that go- 
vernment, by a temperate and steady ap- 
plication of the influence and powers they 
possess, might long ere now have made 
English the prevailing languagein the towns 
at least, and probably amongstthe leading 
people in every part of the country ; and I 



S44 
have no doubt that by the same means it 
may still be done. 

It is supposed (and I believe not with- 
out good grounds), that the principal check 
to the prevalence of the English language 
is, that the clergy silently oppose it. An 
attempt should be made either to induce 
them to second the wishes of government, 
or at least to remain neuter. The most ef-r 
fectual means of doing so would be to abo-? 
lish tythes, and pay the clergy a fixed salary 
out of the public purse. It would be a very 
easy matter to raise a fund for this purpose. 
The abolition of tythes would be attended 
with a great many advantages, agricultu- 
ral, as well as political. It is an event greatly 
wished for, I believe, in England : there, 
however, many obstacles present them- 
selves, which do not exist here; and I doubt 
not that it would be so popular a measure, 
that the clergy, with all their influence, could 
not oppose it. Indeed, it is a matter of some 
- doubt whether they would not themselves 
prefer a sum certain, — paid at once, to 
the vexatious operation of collecting tythes. 
from a hundred hands. 



S45 

If we take a view of the increase of po- 
pulation in Upper and Lower Canada for 
some years past, we shall see that the in- 
crease of those speaking English has been 
much greater, in proportion to the original 
stock, than of those speaking French ; so 
that, in time, these will be left in the mi- 
nority. This arises from the great influx 
of people from Europe, and from the 
United States, who generally prefer set- 
tling either in Upper Canada, or in the 
Townships of Lower Canada, where land is 
more easily procured, and the tenures bet- 
ter understood. That you may completely 
understand the distinction of tenures, it 
may be necessary to explain to you how 
lands are granted and held in Canada ; this 
I shall attempt to clo in my next letter. 



346 



LETTER XXIV. 



Quebec, 1808 a 



At the conquest of this country by the 
English, the Canadians were allowed to 
retain their private property, as well rea^ 
as personal ; and as they were afterwards 
indulged with their own laws, the lands 
continued to be held by the old French 
tenures. 

All the land on both sides of the river 
St. Lawrence from the gulf, up to the 
boundary of Lower Canada, about thirty 
miles above Montreal, was granted by the 
French king to certain individuals, who 
became seigneurs, or lords of the territory; 
The tenure was of a, feudal nature : they 
held immediately of the king en fief or 
en roture, and rendered him foi et horn- 
mage (fealty and homage) on their acces- 
sion to the property ; on a transfer of the 



347 
mgneurie, they pay a fifth part of the value, 
called the Quints. This is still the case ; 
it is paid to the receiver-general, who gives 
you a receipt on your title, and puts you 
in possession. 

These seigneuries are large tracts of 
country, and they have from time to 
time been conceded by the seigneurs in a 
variety of lots to those who might want 
to settle on, and improve them. These 
grants or concessions are also of a feudal 
nature; the grantees are the vassals of 
their lord. There is seldom any considera- 
tion given at first, but they are bound to 
pay a small sum, generally about 5s. a 
year, besides a bushel of wheat, and a 
couple of fowls in name of rent. They 
also pay lots et vanis (mutation fines) on 
every subsequent transfer of the property, 
by sale, or by long lease, called Bail am- 
pheteotique. They are to perform certain 
annual services to their lord, and thej' 
must carry to his mill all the corn they 
wish to have ground, of which he retains 
a fourteenth part, as mouture, or millers 
fee. 

Since the English have had possession 



348 
of the Canadas, the whole of Lower Ca- 
nada not before granted to seigneurs has 
been surveyed by government, and divided 
into townships. These townships are about 
ten miles square, and have been granted 
to a variety of individuals, who have had 
influence enough with government to pro- 
cure them. They are held by the English 
tenure of free and common soccage. 

The Quebec act (1791) declares that 
nothing therein contained shall extend to 
lands held in free and common soccage; 
hence it has been argued that the old laws 
of Canada do not reach such lands : many 
are still of opinion, however, that the Ca- 
nadian laws, and common Canadian mort- 
gages in particular, do extend to the 
townships. It is a point on which the 
learned in the law differ, and I \yill not 
pretend to decide it. 

The original grantees of the townships 
are bound by their titles to have a certain 
number of settlers on their lands in a 
given time. No mention is made what 
sort of people these are to be \ and as the 
Americans have in many places cultivated 
their lands up to the Canadian line of 



349 
boundary, the townships lie very convex 
nient for them ; accordingly, immense num- 
bers of Americans (about 15,000 I have 
heard) have settled on the townships, and 
continue to do so. It may be proper here 
to trace the line of boundary between the 
United States and Canada. 

The boundaries of Canada are very ill 
defined on the side of the United States. — » 
They have been the subject of much di& 
ference of opinion, and of a great deal of 
unpleasant discussion, from the time of the 
declaration of American independence, up 
to the present day. In the discussions on 
this subject, in a diplomatic point of view, 
the Americans have uniformly had the ad- 
vantage of us; and that from many causes. 
Their local knowledge was perfect; they 
had the most minute information as to 
the value of the territory in all its dif- 
ferent bearings; and they knew how 
to estimate the importance of territory, 
and the use of rivers ; for they looked 
forward to the period when tracts of coun- 
try, though then covered with almost im- 
penetrable forests, should Ipe cleared and 
become populous districts. The short space 



ic 



350 

of time in which this has happened, shews 
how correct they were in their views; 
and leaves us no alternative, but to regret 
that our commissioners should have been 
so easily persuaded to extend the line of 
boundary in the manner they did. 

The second article of the definitive treaty 
of peace runs thus : — " And that all dis- 
putes which might arise in future on the 
subject of the boundaries of the United 
" States may be prevented, it is hereby 
"agreed and declared that the following 
u are, and shall be, the boundaries, viz. 
" from the north- w r est angle of Nova Scotia, 
" viz. that angle which is formed by a line 
" drawn due north, from the source of St. 
" Croix river, to the highlands ; along the 
" said highlands, which divide those rivers 
" which empty themselves into the river St. 
" Lawrence, from those which fall into the 
" Atlantic Ocean, to the northwesternmost 
" head of Connecticut river; thence down 
" along the middle of that river to the 45th 
" degree of north latitude; from thence by 
" a line due west on said latitude, until it 
" strikes the river Iroquois, or Cataraguy ; 
" thence along the middle of the said river 



351 

" into lake Ontario, through the middle of 
" said lake, until it strikes the communi- 
" cation by water between that lake and 
" lake Erie ; thence along the middle of 
" said communication into lake Erie ; 
" through the middle of said lake, until it 
" arrives at the w T ater communication be- 
" tween that lake and lake Huron ; thence 
? along the middle of the said water com- 
" munication into the lake Huron ; thence 
" through the middle of the said lake to 
" the water communication between that 
" lake and lake Superior ; thence through 
" lake Superior northwards of the Isles 
u Royales and Philipeaux to the long lake; 
" thence through the middle of the said 
" long lake, and the water communication 
" between it and the lake of the Woods, 
" to the said lake of the Woods ; thence 
** through the said lake to the most north- 
" western point thereof, and from thence 
44 on a due west course to the river Missis- 
" sippi ; thence by a line to be drawn along 
46 the middle of the said river Mississippi, 
" until it shall intersect the northernmost 
" part of the 31st degree of north latitude; 



- 






352 

" south, by a line to be drawn due east* 

" from the determination of the line last 

" mentioned, in the latitude of 31 degrees 

" north of the equator, to the middle of 

" the river Apalachicola, or Catahoutche ; 

" thence along the middle thereof, to its 

junction with the flint river; thence 

straight to the head of St. Mary's river, 

46 and thence down along the middle of St. 

" Mary's river to the Atlantic Ocean ; east, 

" by a line to be drawn along the middle 

" of the river St. Croix, from its mouth in 

the Bay of Fundy, to its source, and from 

its source directly north to the aforesaid 

highlands, which divide the rivers which 

" fall into the Atlantic Ocean, from those 

" which fall into the river St. Lawrence, 

" comprehending all islands within twenty 

" leagues of any part of the shore of the 

" United States* and lying between lines, 

" to be drawn due east from the points 

" where the aforesaid boundaries between 

" Nova Scotia on the one part, and East 

" Florida on the other, shall respectively 

" touch the Bay of Fundy and the Atlan- 

<c tic Ocean* excepting such islands as now 



a, 

Si 



4C i 
(C 



353 

<c are, or heretofore have been> within the 
" limits of the said province of Nova 
" Scotia" 

Doubts arose as to the true river St. 
Croix, and commissioners were applied to 
by both governments to ascertain it, which 
was done accordingly. The report is dated 
25th of October, 1798. 

The river St. Croix discharges itself into 
Passamaquoddy bay, in the bay of Fundy, 
latitude 45 degrees, 5 minutes, 5 seconds, 
north— longitude 67 degrees, 12 minutes* 
30 seconds, west. 

There are several islands in the bay of 
Passamaquoddy, which have been claimed 
by the Americans, but to which they have 
no right, as they have ever been considered 
within the limits of the province of Nova 
Scotiai and it is to be hoped, that govern- 
ment will not yield a point which seems to 
be thought of considerable importance to 
New Brunswick, frequent representations 
having been made from New Brunswick on 
the subject, to which we trust proper at- 
tention will now be paid *. 

* See Appendix, in which some of these representa- 
tions are inserted. 

A A 



354 

In the late treaty with America (nego- 
eiated with Lord Holland), which was re- 
jected by the president, very little altera* 
tion was made in those articles of the for- 
mer treaty, which were most found fault 
with. It appears very extraordinary, that 
the Americans should see cause to reject 
the treaty, and that we should see cause to 
rejoice that they had done so ; yet, I will 
venture to affirm, that no one, who is ac- 
quainted with the commercial relations be- 
tween the United States and our American 
provinces, will hesitate to say, that he con- 
ceives it fortunate that the late treaty was 
rejected. 

On the termination of the American 
war, it appears to have been the intention 
of government to make the river Penob- 
scot, in the district of Main, the boundary 
line of the two countries. At that time, 
there were no settlements to the eastward 
of that river. Unfortunately, the English 
commissioners (probably from not being 
personally acquainted with the country, 
and not being sufficiently instructed on the 
point, or, from being over persuaded by 
the Americans), abandoned that line q{ 



355 

boundary which was clear and well defined, 
and adopted the river St. Croix, which has 
produced so much dissension and discus- 
sion. The map clearly shews, that the Po- 
nobseot was the preferable boundary, in 
every sense of the word; and we have only 
now to regret the passiveness, and neglect 
of British interests, which our commissi- 
oner displayed on that point. It is equally 
conspicuous in his consenting that a line, 
drawn due north from the source of the ri- 
ver St. Croix, to the highlands, should be 
the boundary ; without ascertaining how far 
that line would be convenient and proper 
in its whole course. In fact, it has turned 
out quite the reverse ; because the commu- 
nication between Canada and New Bruns- 
wick is completely cut off by it— the route 
for many miles passing through American 
territory. This ought to have been looked 
into, and the line, instead of going directly 
north to the Mountains, ought to have 
turned to the westward, so as to allow a 
free communication between New Bruns- 
wick and Canada, along the only route 
practicable and convenient, viz. by the ri- 
ver St. John, and the lake Timiskuata.— « 



356 

This circumstance is not generally known ; 
but ministers ought to attend to it, and re- 
medy it, if possible; for, in case of any 
disturbance with the Americans, it may be 
of very great consequence to preserve a 
communication between New Brunswick 
and Canada. Even now, the regular post 
for the conveyance of mails and dispatches 
from Nova Scotia to Canada, passing 
through a part of the American territory, 
is liable to be stopped by that government, 
either from political motives, or from any 
other cause. 

The route, at present, from New Bruns* 
Avick to Canada, is up the river St. John, 
in the bay of Fundy, through the woods 
towards the river St. Lawrence. From St* 
John's to Frederic Town* the distance is 
90 miles ; from thence, to the gran*d falls, 
180 miles; from thence, to the settlement 
of Madawaska, 45 miles ; from thence, to 
the source of the river St. John, the lake 
Timiskuata, 45 miles; from thence, cross 
a portage, or tract, in a very rugged coun- 
try, to the Riviere des Caps, in the St. Law; 
rence, 36 miles. This last part of the jour- 
ney must be performed on foot, there be- 



357 
ingno regular formed road; the previous part 
of the journey can be performed in canoes. 
From the Riviere des Caps to Quebec, the 
distance is 121 miles; there is a good car- 
riage road, and you can travel post. 

In many cases, the making a ridge of 
mountains a boundary betwixt two coun- 
tries, may be very distinct and well de- 
fined ; such as the Pyrenees, for ii stance, 
where the course of the mountains is con- 
tinued in one undivided chain; the ground, 
the water of which runs into France, be- 
longs to France; and the ground, the wa- 
ter of which runs into Spain, belongs to 
Spain: but the highlands, mentioned in 
the American treaty, are, from every thing 
I can learn, neither so boldly marked, nor 
continued in that undivided manner, so as 
to make them a boundary sufficiently dis- 
tinct. Such as they are, however, we must 
abide by them ; and it is ever to be regret- 
ted, that, since that principle was adopted 
in one part of the line, it should not have 
been adopted in another, viz. the borders 
of Lake Champlain, which discharges it- 
self into the river St. Lawrence, and natu- 
rally belongs to Canada, 



358 

Had the north side of the Vermont 
mountains, and the lake, as high as Skeens- 
boro, or even Crown Point, been included 
in Canada (and which, I have been assured, 
would have been granted had it been in- 
sisted upon), the advantage to Canada now 
would have been very great; and if, in- 
stead of the line 45, the line of boundary 
had run from Skeensboro, or even Crown 
Point, due west, it would have included 
the whole river St. Lawrence to Lake On- 
tario, and rendered the river infinitely more 
valuable to Canada. At present, it is a line 
of boundary for a considerable way, and 
would, in case of war, be of no use to 
cither party. 

The distance from the mouth of the ri^ 
ver St. Croix, to the termination of the line 
north, in the highlands, separating the wa^ 
ters which run into the St. Lawrence, from 
those which run into the Atlantic, is from 
3 to 400 miles ; from thence, south-west, 
along the line of highlands (for the Ame- 
rican geographers have laid down a very 
pretty chain of mountains in the very 
course they could wish them to be), to 
where the Connecticut river crosses the pa- 



359 
rallel 45, the distance is about 400 miles ; 
from thence, the parallel 45 crosses the 
lower end of Lake Champlain, and comes 
to the St. Lawrence a little above Lake St. 
Francis, a distance of about 150 miles ; so 
that there is a line of boundary of from 
900 to 1000 miles between Lower Canada, 
New Brunwick, and the United States. 
The line which separates Upper Canada 
from the United States is continued from 
the parallel 45, up the St. Lawrence, 
through the Lakes Ontario* Erie, Huron, 
Lake Superior, Lake of the Woods, and so 
on to the north-west, through an immense 
extent of country, known only to the In- 
dians, who wander through it, and to the 
North-west Company r , who go to trade with 
them. 

It is particularly well known to Sir 
Alexander Mackenzie, who, with a lauda- 
ble ambition for discoveries, and a bold 
and manly line of conduct, accomplished 
in 1793 a journey to the Pacific Ocean, 
over a country that had never been trod- 
den by the foot of a European. By this 
journey, and another which he made to the 
Northern Ocean, he ascertained two very 



360 

important points, viz, the practicability of 
opening an overland trade with the shores 
of the Pacific, and from thence with China, 
and with India; and the impossibility of there 
being any north* west passage from Europe 
to China, by the Northern Ocean, 

The line of boundary between Lower 
Canada, and the United States, would, in 
case of a war, attract much attention. Al- 
though it is extensive, there are, compara- 
tively, few places where an army could en- 
ter. The greatest part of the country 
through which the river St. John runs, is 
a continued forest, and impassable ; and 
the country to the north of the highlands, 
from thence as high up as Quebec, except 
near the St. Lawrence, is pretty much in 
the same state, without any thing like a 
road, till you get as high as the river Qlwu- 
diere, which falls into the St, Lawrence a 
little above Quebec. It rises about a hun- 
dred miles up the country, in the highlands, 
forming the line of boundary. A road is 
formed up this river for a considerable part 
of its course ; but, I believe, it is not con- 
tinued quite through ; the townships huts 
course, not being all settled, 



36J 
The banks of the St. Lawrence, from the 
lowest settlement, up to this river* ^re not 
cultivated backwards to a gnat distance, 
seldom above lOor 15 miles, in a direct line 
from the river. The distance ( f \he Ameri- 
can line, from the river St. Lawrence, is n<>t 
well ascertained ; it must vary, as the high- 
lands advance or recede; upon an a\c- 
age, it is probably about 50 to 60 miles. 
When you get as high as the river Chau- 
diere, the highlands retire towards the 
south, leaving a country between them and 
the St. Lawrence of the breadth of near a 
hundred miles. It contracts again as it 
approaches the St. Lawrence on lie paral- 
lel 45. In this tract of country are tie 
southern townships of Canada ; they n n 
behind the Seignevrics the whole way fn m 
Bique, 150 miles below Quebec, to the 
termination of the parallel 4 J in f he St. 
Lawrence, upwards of 200 miies a hove 
Quebec; but they lie principally between 
the river Chaudiere and the river Chamblie. 
The Seigneuries do not in general recede 
from the river above eight or ten miles. In 
the country backwards, as far as the xiuje- 
yipan line, are found the townships. 



S62 

In each township, the crown, when it 
makes a grant, reserves one-seventh for 
future disposal, and one-seventh for the 
future support of the protestant clergy* — 
The crown reserves also the right of cutting 
wood fit for ship-building. 

Besides the road on the river Chau- 
diere, there is another on the river Ya- 
maska, about a hundred miles further up. 
This river discharges itself into that part of 
the St. Lawrence called Lake St. Peter's. 

A third road, a little further to the 
west, comes from Burlington, on the east 
side of Lake Champlain, and down the 
river Chamblie, 

A fourth road comes in from the state 
of New York, by Odlesknvn to Laprairie, 
oppositeMontreal, 

Besides these roads, there may have 
been some opened very lately, and per- 
haps there may be a few tracks, known only 
to the natives, which, in case of war, might 
be serviceable to Americans, though they 
would not be so to British soldiers. An 
American is at home in the woods, and 
could easily find his way, and live, where 
an Englishman would lose himself and die. 



363 

The unfortunate soldiers, who attempt to 
desert from Quebec by the Chaudiere road, 
find the impossibility of passing through 
woods with which they are unacquainted. 
They, almost without one instance to the 
contrary, are brought back, after having 
delivered themselves up to some of the 
country people, to be conducted to Que- 
bec. 

If we should unfortunately go to war 
with America, the less our troops are in 
the woods the better. I am not qualified 
to give an opinion as to the best manner 
of defending Canada. In case of an at- 
tack, every thing that soldiers can do, will 
be done ; for the troops are kept in excel- 
lent order, and in good spirits. I should 
suppose that Upper Canada is more vulne- 
rable than Lower Canada. It not only has 
no strong holds, but as the line of boun- 
dary runs through the lakes, boats might 
be prepared, and troops might be carried 
over in any numbers, and landed at any 
given point, unless they were obstructed by 
pur navy; tor on those lakes we have q. 
navy, which rides as triumphant as that of 
the ocean. During the American war we 
had several armed ships on the lakes, and 



364 

even now we have a few, with a regular 
establishment of officers. 

I do not know if it was the intention of 
government that Americans should be al- 
lowed to settle in the townships. Whether 
it is sound policy or not, is a question 
which has been much agitated here; and 
it certainly involves many difficulties. In 
one point of view the Americans are pre- 
ferable to any other people, because there 
are no people who so welh understand the 
business of clearing a new country, and 
making it productive. They are active, in-* 
dustrious, hardy, and enterprising, to a 
degree, that is scarcely to be credited, till 
ocular demonstration convinces you of the 
fact. In these points, the Canadians are 
not to be compared to them ; nor are any 
of the emigrants from Europe by any means 
so valuable. In short, the American, when 
he makes a pitch (as they term it, when they 
make an establishment in the woods) is 
quite at home, and following the profes- 
sion he has been habituated to from his 
infancy. The emigrant from Europe has 
every' thing to learn; and, besides that, he 
has to unlearn all his European habits. 

Therecan be no doubt, that the greater 



365 

the number of inhabitants such a country 
as Canada possesses, the greater will be the 
amount of its productions, and the better 
market will it be for the manufactures of 
the mother country. The more industri- 
ous and enterprising the people are, the 
better ; because over and above their own 
wants, a large surplus produce will be 
found for exportation, raising thereby a fund 
to pay for manufactures imported. It is 
this which will make Canada of conse- 
quence to Britain ; and the most expeditious 
method of bringing about such an end 
would naturally be adopted, were there no 
political considerations to be attended to ; 
but Britain, in order to increase the pro- 
ductions of Canada, and open a larger mar- 
ket for her manufactures, must not adopt 
means which would have a tendency to de- 
prive her of the country altogether. 

Canada is a desirable country for emi- 
grants, particularly the south-west parts of 
it, where the climate is moderate, as is the 
case in Upper Canada. In fact, popula- 
tion increases fast both in Upper and 
Lower Canada, as you may well be con- 
vinced of, since, in the course of little 



366 

more than forty years, the increase has been 
from 7o,6GO to 300,000, which is nearly 
doubling every 20 years. 

Government have not hitherto inter- 
fered with the proprietors of the Seigneu- 
rzesand townships; they have been sufttred 
to dispose of their lands in any way they 
thought proper, and to any people they 
chose, whatever their principles, religious 
or political, might be; and whatever coun- 
try they might come from. 

Since the commencement of the present 
misunderstanding with the United States, 
some doubts have arisen as to the propriety 
and policy of allowing so many Americans 
to come into Canada, and particularly to 
giving them tracts of land on the back of 
the townships, contiguous to their own 
boundaries. It seems more advisable to 
confine them to the neighbourhood of the 
Seigneuries, where they would be more un- 
der the eye of government, and the cogni- 
zance of the law. 

There exists amongst the old Canadians 
a strong prejudice against the Americans; 
they are jealous of their increasing num- 
bers in Canada ; they hate them most cor-v 



S67 
dially : indeed, that is not surprising, for 
they have, from the first establishment of 
the colony, been almost constantly in a 
state of warfare. Les sacra Bostonois, is 
the usual epithet for all Americans, from 
whatever part of the country they may 
come. It is not the old Canadians alone 
who have imbibed prejudices against the 
Americans ; the British seem to have 
caught the infection, for which, indeed, 
they are a good deal predisposed from 
their early prepossessions at home. This 
prejudice will cease, or give way, gradu- 
ally, as they know each other better. The 
Americans are, I should suppose, just as 
fit materials to make good subjects of, as 
any other people. All mankind require 
good laws over their heads, and that jus*, 
tice should be strictly and impartially ad- 
ministered; wherever this happens, you 
will have quiet and good subjects, in course 
qf time, of whatever country they may have 
originally been. 

Some people think that there is more to 
be apprehended from Bonaparte than from 
the Americans. His ambition and thirst 
for dominion are pretty evident ; he would 



368 

rejoice to get possession of Canada : he 
wants colonies and commerce. It is thought 
that a few thousand French troops, could 
they jind their way into Canada* would be 
well received by the Canadians, and would 
very soon possess themselves of the coun- 
try : at least* they would unhinge our go- 
vernment, and confine our power to Que-* 
bee. In this point of view the Canadians 
are as dangerous as the Yankees. 

I should suppose we need not be un- 
der any apprehensions from either. Let 
the Canadian endeavour to eradicate from 
his mind any remaining partiality for 
France ; for surely no nation has so com- 
pletely vilified itself. Well may the de- 
scendents of old France say, " You are a 
reproach amongst the nations — we know 
you no more !" The Canadian ought to 
fraternize with those around him : he ought 
to be thankful for the blessings he enjoys 
under the auspices of Great Britain — a 
nation which rears its head amongst the 
nations of the earth; because honor, energy, 
and good faith, are in her councils ;— vir- 
tue, integrity, and industry, amongst her 
people. 



369 
The policy of the mother country, in 
regard to the management f of colonies, is 
complex. The principal object is to pre- 
serve their allegiance and dependence, and 
have such command of their resources, as 
to be able to bring them forward at any 
time, when the mother country may have 
occasion for them. Every thing will natu- 
rally be done by the mother country to in- 
crease those resources, and promote the 
general prosperity of the colony, so long as 
the primary objects are not endangered.— 
Were there any risk of that sort, I should 
have no hesitation in adopting a line of 
conduct calculated to preserve these pri- 
mary objects in full force, though the 
growth of the colony might thereby be 
checked. 

It has been said, that we have lost no- 
thing by the United States becoming in- 
dependent, because they take our manu- 
factures to a greater amount than they did 
before they became independent. Sup- 
pose they do, the conclusion does not fol- 
low as a matter of course. I am inclined 
to think, that our losing the sovereignty of 
the' United States has been a very great 



B B 



S70 

misfortune. It probably would have been 
better for Britain to have preserved Ame- 
rica in due allegiance, and to have had the 
command of her resources, and of her mar- 
ket, though her population, instead of six 
millions, had only reached to four,-and that 
our exports had not been half of what 
they have been for some years past. Bet- 
ter half a loaf than no bread. — We should 
not have been annoyed by non-importation 
acts and embargoes,commercial interfer- 
ences, disputed treaties, &c. — Let us look 
well to our remaining North American 
colonies, lest the same thing should be- 
fal us. 



APPENDIX. 



No. I. 



Duties payable in Canada, on Importation, under 
several Acts of the British Parliament. 



Sterling. 



6 Geo. II. c. 13. Foreign sugars, per cwt* 

["Ditto, white or clayed, per cwt. 



4 Geo. III. c. 15. < 



Foreign indigo, per lb. - 
Ditto, coffee, per cwt. 
Madeira ") 



I 


J. 


d, 





5 





1 


2 











6 


2 


19 


9 



Fayal £ Wines, per tun 7 

j TeneriffeJ 
J Portugal^Spanish^and other wines, \ „ 



10 



L from Great Britain, per tun 

C liritish plantation coffee, per cwt. 7 

6 Geo. III. c. 35. < Molasses, per gallon - - 

£ British pimento, per lb. -00 

^.Brandy, or other spirits, manufac- "> n 
tured in Britain, per gallon 5 

Rum, or other spirits, imported ) „ ~ 

from the West Indie?, ,per ditto ) 
Ditto, from Colonies in America 
Brandy, or other foreign spirits, \ - 
imported from Britain £ 



14 Geo. III. c. 88. 



i 



Rum, orspirit, the produce of Co- N 
lonies in America, not under f 
the dominion of his Majesty, ^ 
imported from any other place 
than Great Britain 
Molasses, in British bottoms - 
^D.tto, in any other - - 



r 



o 
i 

0£ 



3 

6 

9 




372 



Additional Duties laid on by the Provincial Par- 
liament. Acts 33 Geo. III. cap. 8. — 35 
Geo. III. c. §.—andM Geo. III. c. 14. 



Foreign brandy, or other foreign spirits, per gallon 

Rum, per gallon - - 

Molasses and syrups, per gallon 

Madeira wine, by one act 4d. and by another 2d. 

Other wines, by one act 2d. by another id. 

Loaf, or lump sugar, per lb. 

Muscovado, or clayed sugar, per lb. 

Coffee, per lb. - 

Leaf tobacco, per lb. 

Playing cards, per pack - 

Salt, per minot - 

Snuff, per lb. - 

Tobacco, manufactured in any other way 



Duties imposed by a Provincial Act, for building 
Gaols, to continue six Years, from the %5th 
March, 1805. 

Bohea tea. per lb. - 

Souchong, black, per ditto - : ' 

Hyson 

Green teas - - - 

Spirits, or other strong liquors, per gallon 

Wines ------ 

Molasses and syrups - - - 2 

Goods sold at auction, 2£ per cent, on amount of sales. 



Sterling. 


£. 


s. 


i. 








3 








3 








3 








6 








3 








1 








Of 








2 








2 








4 








4 








4 








3 









2 








4 








() 








4 








3 








3 



373 



No. II. 

Allowances at the Custom-house. 
Deduction of Weight. 

On coffee, in bales or bags, 3 lbs. for every cwt. 

in casks, 12 lbs. per ditto. 

Loaf sugar, in casks or boxes, 15 lbs per cwt. 
Leaf tobacco, in casks, 12 lbs. per cwt. 
Leakage on wines, spirits, and molasses, 3 gallons on every 

hundred. 
For waste of articles, subject to duty by weight, an allowance 

of three pounds on every hundred pounds. 
On salt, an allowance of 3 minors per hundred. 
The import duty on salt is 4d. per minot. Salt landed below 
the east bank of the river S. j guenay, on the north side of the St. 
Lawrence, and below the east bank of the river Grand Mitis, on 
the south side, is not subject to duty. There shall be drawn back, 
at the Custom-house, 4d. on every bushel of salt exported from the 
port of Quebec, to any place beyond the above Iimi's ; 7d. on every 
tierce of salmon ; and 4d. on every barrej of salted beef or pork, or 
salted fish of any sort, exported from this province, 



374 



No. III. 

Post Office Regulations. 

At the beginning of every month a packet sails from Falmouth 
for North America, having on board a mail for Quebec. In the 
summer months she puts in at Halifax, in her way to New York, 
and there delivers the mail for Canada. From Halifax they are 
forwarded by land to Quebec. In the months of November, De- 
cember, January, and February, the packets pass Halifax, and 
deliver the mails for Canada, to the agent for British packets at 
New York, who forwards them through the United States by post 
to Montreal. 

A mail for England is dispatched from Quebec once every fort- 
night in summer, and once a month in winter, to be sent by first 
packet for England. 

A mail for Burlington, in the United States, is made up at Que- 
bec every Thursday, and at Montreal every Saturday, by which 
conveyance letters may be sent for Europe, under cover, to a friend 
at New York, on paying the Canadian postage. The post for Mon- 
treal leaves Quebec every Monday and Thursday, and leaves Mon- 
treal for Quebec on the same days. Post arrives at these places on 
Wednesdays and Saturdays. A monthly communication, by po$t, 
between Lower and Upper Canada, has been lately opened. 



375 



No. IV. 

Roads and Distances in Canada. 

From Quebec to Halifax. 

Miles. 

From Quebec to Point Levi, cross the river - 1 

Thence to the Portage at Riviere de Cap - 12l£ 

Thence to Timiskuata - - - 36 

Thence to the settlement of Maduaska - 45 

Thence to the great Falls in river St. John - 45 

Thence to Frederick town - - - 180 

Thence to St. John's - go 

Thence to Halifax 1 8g§ 



70S 



From Quebec to Michelemakinak, at the entrance 
of Lake Huron* 

To Montreal - - » - - 184 

To Coteau de Lac - - - 225 

To Cornwall ... 266 

To Matilda - - - - - 301 

To Augusta ----- 335 

To Kingston ----- 355 

To Niagara ----- 525 

To Fort Erie - - - - 560 

To Detroit ----- 790 

To Michelemakinak - 1107 



From Quebec to Nexv York, by way of Montreal. 

To Cape Rouge - - - - 9 

To St. Augustin - - - - g 

To Jacques Cartier - - - - 15 

To St. Anne's - - - - 30 

To Three Rivers • 22 

To Riviere de Loup - - - - 27 

To Berthiere - - - - 22 

To Repentigne - 32 

To Montreal - - - - - 18 

Carried over 184 



376 



Miles. 
Brought over 184 

To Laprairie - - - - 9 

To St. John's - 14 

To Isle au Noi - 14 

To Windmill Point - - - - 12 

To Savage's Point - 6 

To Sandbar ----- 20 

To Burlington, the first post town in the States 14 



To Skeensboro' 
To Fort Anne 
To Dumont's Ferry 
To Water ford 
To Albany City 



89 



150 



To Hudson City - - - - 34 

ToRhinebeck - - - - 3! 

To Poughkapsie - - - - 17 

ToPeckskill ----- 34 

To Kingsbridge - - - - 34 

To New York - • - - 15 105 

588 



■i 



377 



No. V. 

List of Governors of Canada, from the Conquest, 
with the Date of their Appointments. 

James Murray, 2, -st November - 1?63 

P. M. Irvine, President, 30th June - - 1?66 

GuyCafleton, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in } i^fifi 

Chief, 24 th September - - -3 ' 

Ditto, 26th October - - - - I76S 

H. T. Cramah-:, President, 9th August - - 1770 

GuyCarleton, 11th October - 17/4 

F. Haidiman - 1778 

H. Hamilton, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in) ,„ ,» 

Chief ■- - - "- -I 178 f 

H. Hope, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief 1785 

Lord Dorchester, Governor General - - 1786 

A. Clarke, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief 1791 
Lord Dorchester, 24th September - - • 1793 

Robert Prescott - 1796 

Sir Robert Milnes, Lieutenant Governor - - 1799 

Thomas Dunn, President, and superseded by -> .„,.. 

Sir James Craig, Governor and Captain General - ) 



37$ 



No, VI. 



List of the Counties in Lower Canada — the Num- 
ber of Representatives in the Provincial As- 
sembly—and the Number of Parishes. 



Parishes. Member?- 



Gaspe - - — ■ none 

Cornwallis - - - " 11 

Devon - - - - 6 

Hereford -- - - 7 

Dovchester -'"*-■" 4 

Buckinghamshire - - 12 

Richelieu - 7 

And for the town of William Henry, in ditto 

Bedford - - - - 1 

Surrey - 5 

Kent - 4 

Huntingdon - 7 

York .... 5 

Montreal - <• - - 9 ? 

Effingham - 3 

Leinster - 8 

Warwick - 4 

St. Maurice - - • 9! 

Hampshire ... 7 

Quebec - 5 

Northumberland - 1 

Orleans - 



1 

2 
2 
2 
2 
2 
2 
1 
1 
2 
2 
2 
2 
for town 4 
county 2 
2 
2 
2 
2 



county 
Three > 
Rivers y 



} 



county 
town 



6© 



An Account ofL the Wesfc IndieS) in the Ye ars 

1804, loO^g severa } Countries from which 
such Artie 



1806. 



SPECIES and IS. 

The 



JITED 
IGDOM. 



-._._... . isheU. 

CORN.— Antigua , 

Barbadoe?4^30 

Dominica53i4o5 
Grenada . 9»9*» 
Jamaica } x > z °5 
Montserrf^'972r 

Nevis ... 6 > 2 3° 
St. Kitts .5>°35 
St.Vincei?*>759 
Tortola.., 6 >4« 6 
Trinidad. x '730 

Demerara?*! 26 

► St. Lucia .9'* 11 

Surinam , °$ l 

Tobago ,4» 1 97 

& 0,014 



8,203 



BREAD, 
FLOUR, 

and 
MEAL. 



Arts. 

Antigua, 
Barbadc 6 '^ 5 
Dominic 4 ' 610 
Grenada 4 ° 
Jamaicag' 5 
Montsef 5 '^ 
Nevis . I 
St.Kitts a ' l8 ° 
St.Vin Cl 3'9 2 ° 

Tortola 

Trinidac 

Demerai 

St. Lucie 

Surinam * * 

Tobago x »°4 
6 1,015 



5o 
9 6 5 

455 



>9°5 



BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 



Bushels. 



604 



3H 

1,450 



2IO 



2,578 



Cyvts. 



483 

7 
609 

381 



236 



1,716 



STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 



Bushels. 

169,201 
22,683 

6,961 

9,966 
82.043 

6,3*5 
14,4-33 
19,299 
16,637 

2,00 r 

7,99i 
4,846 
2,222 

4,515 
17,133 

386,256 



Cwts. 

34,242 

78,475 
18,844 

I2,8l2 
142,350 

*,955 

8,682 
21,017 
11,212 

1,482 
25,872 
12,976 

7,5i8 
13,412 

7,"7 

397,966 



OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 



Bushels. 



764 
450 



1,214 



Cwts. 



241 

500 

3,692 

413 

5" 

18 



5,375 



No. VII. 



An Account of the principal Articles of Provision and Lumber imported into his Majesty's Colonies in the West Indies, in the Years 
1804, 1805, and 1806: distinguishing each Year; each Island or Colony respectively; and the several Countries from which 
such Articles were imported. 



SPECIES and ISLANDS. 



CORN.— Antigua 

Sarbadoes ....*. 

Dominica 

Grenada 

Jamaica 

Montserrat 

Nevis , 

St. Kitts , 

St. Vincents. 

Tortola 

Trinidad 

Demerara .... 

» St. Lucia 

Surinam 

Tobago 

Total 



BnEAD, 
FLOUR, 

and 
MEAL. 



Antigua 

Barbadocs . . . . 
Dominica .... 

Grenada 

Jamaica 

Montserrat 

Nevis 

St. Kitts 

St. Vincents.. .. 

Tortola 

Trinidad 

Demerara 

St. Lucia 

Surinam 

Tobago 

Total. . 





1804. 






1805. 






1806. 




The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 


BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 


STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 


The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 


BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 


STATES 

of, 

AMERICA. 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 


The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 


BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 


STATES 
of 

AMERICA. 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 


Bushels. 

16,048 

40,894 

8,64* 

13,^58 

21,666 
2,499 
5,693 

17,244 

i3,i95 
1,012 

3,657 
8,180 

3,452 
3,088 
6,712 


Bushels. 

2,025 
8ll 

1,111 

IOl 

84 

24 


Bushels. 

179,065 
26,242 

3,828 
17,626 
70,533 

4,617 
22,846 
12,619 
25,641 
894 
14,304 
14,386 

7,727 

4.703 

27,755 


Bushels.. 

1,897 

510 

680 
I,30O 

130 
115 


Bushels; 

25,454 
26,543 
7,054 
10,414 
17,422 

3,574 
7,623 
16,498 
9,572 
652 
5,429 

8,131 
221 

i,43 6 
5,739 

145,762 


Bushels. 

936 
123 

234 
469 

40 

534 
560 

200 


Bushels. 
184,628 

37,657 
1,767 

14,987 
49,928 

2,595 
40,680 

13,549 

14,646 
2,019 

10,751 
3,738 
4,350 
1,835 

16,396 


Bushels. 

335 
126 
408 

1,120 

4,227 

1,180 

24 


Bushels. 

34.230 
53,465 

9,91a 
21,285 
15,972 

6,230 

5,035 
31,759 
16,486 

1,730 
7,226 
9,8li 
851 
14^97 
10,014 


Bushels. 
604 

314 
1,45° 

2IO 


Bushels. 

169,201 
22,683 

6,961 

9,966 
82.043 

6,325 
14,433 
19,299 
16637 

2,OOI 

7,991 
4,846 

2,222 

4,515 

17,133 


Bushels. 

764 
450 






165,540 


4,156 


432,786 


4,632 


3,096 


399,5 2 6 


7.470 


238,203 


2,578 


386,256 


1,214 


Cwts. 

790 
2,015 

45 

2,860 

12,075 

I2 e 
1,925 

1,600 
610 

5 

160 
440 

20 
865 


Cwts. 

52 
264 

773 
1.020 

i,373 

26 
19 

700 
9 


Cwts. 

36,417 
93,457 
13,755 
22,456 
165,740 

1,9*4 

7,213 
27,^83 
15,578 

2,179 
42,735 
95,096 

9,322 
20,517 
14,345 


Cwts. 
26 

327 

373 

2,266 

3.554 
105 

6,656 


Cwts. 

3,315 

12,185 

165 

2,525 
12,960 

2IO 
2,065 
l,8lO 

IOO 

605 

75 

45 
995 


Cwts. 

131 
406 

175 

23 

457 

395 

430 

49 
350 


Cwts. 

44,997 
95,176 
11,231 
21,658 
102,616 

2,529 

8,088 
27,092 
18,354 

1,513 
34,377 
14,686 
11,790 
20,291 

9,945 


Cwts. 
14 

i,53 6 
689 

4,802 
299 

266 

700 

737 

1,295 

640 


Cvts. 

5,195 

14,610 

40 

3,085 

M°5 

150 

2,180 

3,920 

795 

50 

9*S 

455 

1,040 
1,015 


Cwts. 
483 

7 
609 

38j 
236 


Cwts. 

34,242 
78,475 
18,844 
12,8l2 
142,350 

i,955 

8,682 
21,017 
11,212 

1,482 
25,872 
12,976 

7,5*8 
13,412 

7, "7 


CwU. 

241 

500 

3, 6 92 

413 

5" 
18 

5,375 


23,535 


4,236 


568,207 


i 37,055 


2,416 


424,343 1 


10,970 


1,716 


397,966 



the British West Indies — continued. 



1805. 






1806. 




SH 

nral 

1ES. 


STATES 

of 

AMERICA 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES 


The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 


BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 


STATES 1 
of 
AMERICA. 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 


s. 


Barrels. 

189 
1,094 


Barrels. 


Baireis. 
2 


Barrels. 


Barrels. 

439 

2 .373 


Barrels, 


. . . 


129 








455 


— 




471 








436 


— 


18 


*,l8 5 




16 




4,094 


— 




23 








6 
12 


. , ., 




263 


I 


I 




338 


45 




iH 






/ 


1K6 


— 


■ . . 


9 








8 


— 


... 


501 








985 


— 




8 i7 








1,008 


— 




376 








229 


-— 




711 


60 







505 


— ' 




"3 




31 




106 


1 


18 


7>io3 


6l 

Barrels. 


50 




11,100 


46 


•Is. 


Barrels. 


Barrels. 


Barrels. 


Barrels. 


Barrels. 


. . . 


i>9 r 3 




3,857 




2,135 


— 


236 


1,326 




'3,347 


65 


25 


Il8 


103 


1,919 




776 




3,475 


— 


. ». 


2,891 




979 


133 


817 


— 


3*4 


14,157 




32,281 


1,262 


9.567 


— 


12 


3^ 




78 




416 


— 


. . 


"5 


56 


21 




157 


— 




694 


IO 


222 




1.575 


37 


610 


1,204 




280 




1,844 


— 


. . . 


138 




39 




182 


— 


98 


10,216 


72 


1,245 


75 


6 .234 


89 




7,895 




1,657 




8,168 


— 




3,031 


180 


240 




i,53i 


— 


128 


4,543 


8 


1.533 




2,246 


— 


253 


3,3i6 


46 


250 




1,864 


— 


.754 


5^389 


372 


56,765 


1,535 


39,226 


244 


iuint. 


Bar. Quint 


Bar. Giuint. 


Bar. Quint. 


Bar. Quinr. 


Bar. Quint. 


Bar. Quint. 


1.433 
5,660 

3^712 
8,i8t 






19 16 
15 4 


2,982 
O 31,016 
O 2,916 
O 19,454 

17,408 


O 540 

55 

,218 8,351 

981 

O 25,039 




O 34 
O 2 OO5 

735 
O 27,876 




• 




O 28 




O 616 




6,240 


O 30 


186 47S 


— 


5 

1,072 

J 5 


5 
16 




' 




54 

89 

34 " 6 37 


■■■• 




| 


O 310 

O 607 




2,993 


O 141 


I 11 


O 199 


3,007 


O 3;443 
O 450 

O 20,410 




O 7 


10,955 


2,424 

100 488 

20,492 






17 25 
54 




6,31.5 


O 14 


7,717 


O 4,420 


4,238 
2,178 
1,406 


145 32,604 
6,477 
11,566 




87 2,380 


15,302 

13 903 
1 O 1,771 


40,562 
O 12,785 
26,962 








1 O 42O 


40 807 


_ 


6,070 


3 8,871 




239 


3,59^ 

1 


5,509 








9>J32 


14S & 117,446 


1 O 605 


I365 & 4,637 


i2&ii3,93; 


J 452 & 144,968 


O 4,588 



SPECIES and 



s — continued. 



1806. 



The 
UNITED 
tINGDOM. 



BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 



Barrels. 



FISH, -lAnti 
PICKLED. J Barr 
Dom 
Gren 
Jama: 
Moat 
Nevis 
St. K 
St. Vi 
Tortc 
Trini 
Deme 
St. Li 
Surin 
Tobaj 



152 

235 



726 

48,838 

30 

"1,885 
176 

5 

58 

967 

394 

1,840 



55.306 



BUTTER.— Antij 
Barb 
Dom 
Gren 
Jams 
Mon 
Nevi 
St.'K 
St. V 
Tort 
Trin: 
Dem 
St. I 
Surii 
Tobi 



Firkin?. 

1,978 

H-93I 
2,398 
1,769 

25,904 

19 

326 
901 
622 

842 
1,286 
2,297 

872 
2,546 

217 



56,908 



Barrels. 

307 
2.654 

268 

29,4' 6 

559 
618 
122 

265 
263 

126 

1,468 

3 6 4 



STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 



36,74! 



Firkins. 



76 



72 
127 



18 

12 



32 



Barrels. 

3,561 

3* 
613 

9 

30,834 

632 

J, 124 

1,603 

84i 

309 

1,294 

2,653 

354 

2,517 

1,469 



47,845 



Firkins. 



232 

74 
472 
200 



54 

3 6 4 

305 

18 

807 

2,099 

745 
980 

243 



6 >593 



OTHER 
COUNTRIES; 



Barrels. 



I 40? 



93? 



25 



2,372 



Firkins. 



119 



45 




The Account of Provisions and Lumber imported into the British West Indies — continued. 



SPECIES and ISLANDS. 



RICE.. 



. Antigua .... 
Barbadoes . . 
Dominica .... 
Grenada . . . 
Jamaica .... 
Montserrat .. 

Nevis 

St. Kitts .... 
St. Vincents.. 

Tortola 

Trinidad 
Demerara 
St. Lucia .... 

Surinam 

Tobago 



1804. 



The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 



Barrels. 



3» 



Total. 



BEEF and > Antigua ..... 
PORK. \ Barbadoes . . . 

Domfnica 

Grenada 

Jamaica 

Montserrat , . , 

Nevis , 

St. Kitts 

St. Vincents .. 

Tortola 

Trinidad 

Demerara .... 
St. Lucia .... 
Surinam 
Tobago 



Total. . . 



FISH, DRY.— Antigua .... 
Barbadoes .. 
Dominica . . . 
Grenada . . . 
Jamaica .... 
Montserrat . . 

Nevis 

St. Kitts .... 
St. Vincents . . 

Tortola 

Trinidad 
Demerara. 
St. Lucia 
Surinam 
Tobago 



47 



78 



BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 



Barrels. 

1,392 

16,761 

2,554 

1,361 

29,151 

126 

45 

396 

482 

46 

1,708 

J » 6 59 
»93 

M3 2 

97 



57,303 



Bar. Quint 



Total. 



o 
o 
6 

o 

257 

o 

16 

o 

50 



16 

13 
80 

39! 
74 : 
100 

10 

70 

4 1 



Barrels. 



Barrels. 



70 
341 



6 33 



2 44 



182 
19 



126 

23 

1,638 



Bar. Quint. 



o 

10 

o 

37 



16,050 
IX >355 

24,586 



o 

J 74 

35 

45 

o 



917 



116 

3 2 



583 & 2,497 



o 13,878 



5>26 3 
5-494 



STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 



Barrels. 

458 
2,812 

39 6 

395 

4,024 

11 

87 

243 

5 1 

4 

2,259 

4.657 

362 

855 
403 



17,017 



Barrels. 

5,634 

159 

2,589 

1,875 

19,332 

231 

775 

3,70o 

3,884 

228 

8,278 
14,705 
1,583 
5,885 
2,861 



71,728 



Bar. Quint. 



140 
1,731 



I47&9 1,609 



o 
o 
o 

274 

o 

o 
6 
o 
o 
o 

593 
6 

o 
o 



i,542 
3,524 
3,633 
M75 

44,595 

r 54 

43 5 

3,550 

3>524 

437 

i5,no 

46,910 
4,815 

17.827 
5,405 



OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 



1,107 & 153,038 



Barrels. 



*95 



36 
75 



312 



Barrels. 



25 



53 
100 
210 



70 
82 



540 



Bar. Quint 



4,600 



18 



50 



35 



1805. 



The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 



Barrels. 



24 



33 



Barrels. 

3,089 

I3,6H 

1,161 

572 
26,468 

4 
69 

437 

828 

58 

639 

1,421 
4x7 
748 
124 



49,646 



Bar. Quint 



17 

o 
o 

45 
134 



no 

55 
22 

542 
918 



4,703 



o 

o 
o 
o 

28 

5 
6 



2 

3 
20 

73 
832 
72 

59 
66 



BRITISH 
Continental 

COLONIES. 



Barrels. 



18 



Barrels, 

236 
103 

314 

12 



6lO 



128 

253 



i,754 



Bar. Quint 



55 

324 

O 

o 

10 

o 

47 

o 
o 



1,433 
5,660 

3,712 
18,181 

26,240 

5 
1,072 

15 

13,007 




237 & 2,774 l50i&99,532 



STATES 

of 

AMERICA 



Barrels. 

189 

1,094 
129 

471 
2,185 

23 
263 
182 

9 

501 
8i7 
376 
711 
113 



7,*03 



Barrels. 

1,913 

1,326 
1,919 

2,891 

14,157 
32 

115 

694 
1,204 

138 
IO,2l6 

7,895 
2,031 

4,543 
2,316 



51,389 



Bar. Quint 



34 
2005 

735 
27,876 

5 
16 

2,993 

3?443 

45° 

20,410 

145 32,604 

o 6,477 

o 11,566 

3 8,871. 



14S & 117,446 



OTHER 

COUNTRIES 



Barrels. 



60 



6l 



Barrels. 



56 

IO 



72 

180 

8 

46 



372 



Bar. Quint. 



O 30 



o 141 



o 420 



o 605 



1806. 



The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 



Barrels. 



16 



3i 



50 



Barrels. 

3,857 

13,347 
776 

979 

32,281 

78 

21 

222 

280 

39 
1,245 

1,657 
240 

i,538 
250 



56,765 



Bar. Quint 
19 16 

15 



o 
1S6 



616 

47 



1 

o 

17 
o 

87 




Barrels. 



Barrels. 



65 



133 
1,262 



75 



i,535 



STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 

Barrels. 

439 

2 >373 

455 

436 

4,094 

6 

12 

238 

186 

8 

985 

1,008 

229 

505 
106 



„ OTHER 
^OUNTRi Es . 

Barrels. 



11,100 



Barrels. 

2,135 

25 

M75 

817 
9,567 

416 

157 

1,575 
1,844 

182 

6,234 
8,168 

i,52i 
2,246 
1,864 



45 



46 



Barrels. 



Il8 



39,226 



Bar. Quint. 

o 2,982 
o 31,016 
o 2,9x6 

O 19,454 

o 17,408 



Bar. Quint. 



II 

7 

25 

54 

4,380 



o 310 
o 607 
o 10,955 



40 
o 



807 
239 



o 7,717 

o 15,302 

12 903 

o 1,771 

o 2,596 



o 
o 

218 

o 
o 

o 
o 

34 
o 
100 
o 
o 
o 
o 
o 



365&4 J 637'i2&ii3,937 



54° 

55 

8,35i 

981 

25,039 

54 

89 

' 63 

2,424 

488 

20,492 

40,562 

12,785 
26,962 

5,509 



37 



89 



452 & 144,968 



244 
Bar. Quint. 

28 

199 
O 4,4 J0 



:i 



4.5* 



:he British West Indies — continued. 



805. 






1806. 




al 

s. 


STATES 

ot 

AMERICA. 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 


The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 


BRITISH 

Continental 
COLONIES. 


STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 


4 


No. 
130 

437 
132 
160 
412 

20 
132 

7 
709 
263 
207 
22 
251 


No. 

49 

194 


No. 


No. 


No. 

152 
293 
389 
135 
662 

50 

31 

98 

918 

477 

7o 

48 

75 


No. 

34 
127 

12 
136 


4 


2,882 


243 






3,388 


309 


o 
5 
9 
9 

o 

o 

8 

3 

o 



o 


Feet. 

1,808,438 

5>4I5,352 
1,502,300 

2,875,399 
6,813,167 

268 900 
789,167 
867,911 

2,525,904 
302,300 
3,500,814 
4,541,350 
1,792,300 
1,158,280 
3,673,680 


Feet. 
3,93C 

2,800 

240 

l43,OOC 


, Feet. 


Feet. 

I,000 
7,000 

2,650 
753,588 

6,877 

39,000 

1,200 


Feet. 

2,480,4/0 
5,205,078 
2 945,550 
2,090,862 
9,5oi,734 
395>9o8 
578,000 

1,5*3,3%* 
2,275,150 

3 67. <H5 
2,506,423 

6,539,95o 

912,273 

1,228,800 

3,058,549 


Feet. 

50,000 
4,000 

400 
12,000 

2,ooo 


4 


37,835,262 


149,970 




811,315 


40,610,075 


68,400 


o 

o 

o 
>o 

)0 

>o 
>o 
»o 

)0 


No. 

2,631,000 
8,355,650 
2,254,500 
2,391,200 
8,572,310 

236,000 

824,000 
1,432,800 
1,619,700 

255,000 
3,266,250 
1,721,750 
3,401,200 

309,000 
1,180,350 


No. 
17,500 


No. 


No. 

40,000 

21,000 
208,225 

12,000 

6,000 
8,000 


No. 

3,442,406 
6,055,950 
3,188,500 
2,281.400 
17,621,756 

597,000 

688,000 
1,510,175 
3,118,000 

3^7,000 
3,028.774 
2,768,000 
2,901 000 

224,000 
2,128,771 


No. 
3,000 


)0 


38,410,710 


17,500 




395,325 


49,9 7,733 


3,00© 



^continued. 



1806. 



SPECIES and- 

The 
JNITED 
INGnOM . 

„►« No. 

STAVES Anti 

Bart 

Don* 

Gref 

Jam;* 

Mor 

Nevi 

St.K 

St.V 

Tort 

Trin 

Demi* •*•••• 

St.L 

Surir 

Toba 



BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES 



No. 

JOO 

33,196 

6,500 

14,880 

346,760 

I4>300 

7,400 

9,000 

5,8oo 



STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 



No. 

952,430 

1,023,537 

43I,7CO 

920,833 

12,395,732 

117,600 

201,000 

661,460 

1,460,800 

39,50O 

845,571 
908,079 
198,500 
63,000 
946,187 



OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 



3*7,336 21,164,979 j 135,500 



No. 



30,000 



IO,000 

34,000 

70,500 
I,000 



SPECIES and ISLANDS. 



FISH, "» Antigua .. 
PICKLED. J Barbadoes 
Dominica . . 
Grenada . . 
Jamaica.. .. 
Montserrat 

Nevis 

St. Kitts .. 
St. Vincents 
Tortola 
Trinidad . . 
Demerara . . 
St. Lucia .. 
Surinam . . 
I'obago .... 



Total. 



BUTTER.— Antigua ... 
Barbadoes . 
Dominica. . . 
Grenada . . . 
Jamaica . . . 
Montserrat 
Nevis 

St.' Kitts . . . 
St. Vincents. 

Tortola 

Trinidad . . . 
Demerani.. . 
St. Lucia . . . 
Surinam . . . 
Tobago . . . 



Total. 



COWS and 
OXEN. 



? Antigua . . . . 
J Barbadoes . . 

Dominica . . 

Grenada. . .. 

Jamaica 

Montserrat 

Ne; is 

St. Kitts 

St. Vincents 

Tortola 

Trinidad. . . . 

Demerara . . 

St. Lucia.. . . 

Surinam .. .. 

Tobago 



Total 



1804.. 



The 

UNITEO 

KINGDOM. 



20 

320 

46 

2,205 

43.853 

130 

50 

1,787 

293 



33 
285 



BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 



2,or5 



5°,949 



Firkins. 

672 

1S03S 

3648 

3,019 

21, ^65 

70 

416 

2 499 

416 

1 218 

1,041 

805 

604 

978 

76 

52,462 



3,211 

224 

184 

17,691 



414 
343 



277 
298 



289 
6 



23-035 



55 



2,962 

1.974 
685 
805 
18,161 
558 
637 
a.399 
778 

1 75 
2.271 
5,1.8 

850 
3,805 

966 



42, 144 



Firkins. 
.38 

775 

1,040 

68 

1,867 

7 

63 

238 

301 

39 

i,35' 

3,408 

529 
943* 
400 



No- 

4OI 
1,369 

* 35 
134 



136 

307 

*55 

SIS 
287 



4,076 



OTI&ER 



The Account of Provisions and ] J umber imported into the British West Indies — continued. 



100 
50 
96 



30 



r 5 



47 



48 
1992 



2,083 



1805. 



Barrels. 
3l6 

187 

20 

822 

43,1*4 

no 

50 

1,877 

338 



38 
428 



166 

1,458 



48829 



Firkins. 

692 

11,249 

3. '74 

818 

H.493 



302 
1,034 

858 
1,272 
1,238 
1,742 
1,094 

2,028 



40,074 



BRITISH 
Comment,, 
COLONIES. 



Barrels. 
803 
4,696 

5»5 

3i6 

12.39.9 
421 
621 

310 
i34 



338 

329 

854 
1,011 



23,625 



65 



33 



240 



Barrels. 

3,427 
303 
70; 
I90 

IV3' 
162 
340 

1,291 
236 
278 

1,639 

1,217 
489 

2,410 
610 



«4>5*5 



Firkins. 



I76 
240 



7 

443 

154 

6 

454 

1,923 

611 

1,116 

369 



6,484 



1,499 
233 
183 
100 



187 

l8l 



404 
33i 
354 
191 
71 

4,'3i 



119 
210 



329 



1806. 



UNITED 
KINGDOM. 



34 
417 



34 



485 



152 
235 



726 



30 



1,885 

176 

5 

58 

967 



394 
1,840 



55,306 



Firkins. 
1,978 

r 4-93l 
2,398 
1,769 

25,904 

19 

326 
901 
622 

842 
1,286 
2,297 

872 

2,546 
217 



BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 



Barrels. 

307 

2.654 

3" 

268 

29,416 



559 
618 
122 



265 

263 

126 

1,468 

364 



36.74 1 



76 



72 
127 



STATES 
AMERICA 



3,561 

32 

6, 3 

9 
30,834 

632 
j, 124 
1,603 

84i 

309 
1,294 
2,653 

354 
2,517 
1,469 



47.845 



Firkin*. 



18 



32 



337 



232 

74 

472 

200 



54 
364 

3°5 
18 
807 
2,099 
745 
980 

343 



1 408 



939 



25 



2,372 
Firkins. 



6,593 



/ 



No. 

458 

1,464 

416 

.56 



166 
307 



119 



45 



171 



402 
430 
215 
1S3 
124 

4,33° 



83 

12 
684 



802 



The Account of Provisions and Lumber imported into t^he British West Indies — continued. 



SPECIES and ISLANDS. 



SHEEP and ? Antigua . . 
HOGS. 5 Barbadoes. ■ 
Dominica . . 
Grenada . . 
Jamaica 
Montserrat 

Nevis 

St. Kitts 

St. Vincents 
Tortola 
Trinidad . . . 
Demerara . . , 
St. Lucia . . , 

Surinam 

Tobago 



Total. . 



OAK & PINE ) Antigua 

BOABDS.and V Barbadoes . . 

TIMBER. ) Dominica . . 

Grenada. . . . 

Jamaica .... 

Montserrat 

Nevis 

St. Kitts 

St. Vincents 
Tortola 
Trinidad . . , 
Demerara . . , 
St. Lucia . . . 

Surinam 

Tobago 



Total. . , 



SHINGLES.— Antigua 

Barbadoes 

Dominica 

Grenada 

Jamaica 

Montserrat . . , 

Nevis , 

St. Ivitts 

St. Vincents . - 

Tortola 

Trinidad 

Demerara 

St. Lucia 

Surinam , 

Tobago 



Total. , 



1804. 



The BIUTISH 

UNITED Contm»ntal 

KINGDOM. COLONIES 



Feet. 
17,000 
2,917 

3, coo 

6,000 

513,743 



66,800 



78,517 
45,55° 



81,200 



814,737 



2,400 



14,000 
124,50c 



20,000 



25,750 
3,600 



STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 



301 
461 

*75 
555 



39 

16 

139 



607 

1,601 

65 

7i 

66 



4,194 



Feet. 

1,536,457 
4095,977 
2,092,675 
",793,641 
6,353,284 
191,000 
3 58,000 

T , 323, 542 
2,674,200 
433,202 
3,826,7^6 
7,53r,300 
1,000,547 
1,982,50.) 

r >43°,520 



36,623,601 



1,526.700 
5,601,400 
2,631,800 
1,328,700 

1 2,507,43° 

284,000 

392,000 

1,702550 

1,931,000 

313,000 

4,675,400 

3 549,95° 

2,072,000 

288,000 

2,032,740 



212,250 40,836,670 



OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 



37 

7 

337 



401 



*,43° 



230 
82,960 



85,620 



1,500 



19,500 



The 
UNITED 

KINGDOM. 



1805. 



BRITISH 
Continent 

colonies; 



34 



34 



STATES 

ot 

AMERICA. 



130 
437 

160 
412 



20 
132 

7 

709 
263 
207 
22 
251 



Feet. 

37,000 
143,935 
"4,459 

18,479 
643,500 

26 600 



7,728 



69,683 

3,740 
50,200 



85,000 



1,200,324 

No. 
10,000 

106,500 
104,000 

142,800 

11,000 

5,000 



20,000 
33,000 
29,000 



30,000 



491,300 



OTHER 
COUNTRIES 



1,808,438 
5,415,352 
1,502,300 

a>875,399 

6,813,167 

268.900 

789,167 

867,911 

2,525,9°4 

302,300 

3,500,814 

4,54 r >35° 
1,792,300 
1,158,280 
3,673,680 



37,835,262 



No. 

2,631,000 
8,355,650 
2,254,500 
2,391,200 
8,572.310 

236,000 

824,000 
1,432,800 
1,619,700 

255,000 
3,266,250 
1,721,750 
3,401,200 

309,000 
1,180,350 



38,410,710 



49 

194 



243 



3,930 



2,800 

240 

143,000 



1806. 



The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 



149,970 



I7,50 



17,500 



BRITISH 

Continental 
COLONIES. 



STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 


„„ OTHER 
COUNTRIES 


No. 


No. 


152 





293 
389 
"5 
662 
So 


34 
117 

12 
136 



31 

98 

918 

477 
70 
48 
75 



1,000 
7,000 



2,650 
753,588 



6,877 

39,000 

1,200 



811,315 



40,000 



21,000 
208,225 



2,480,470 
5,205,078 
2.945,55° 
2,090,862 
9,5oi,734 

395.9o8 

578,000 
1,523,381 
2,275,150 

367.045 
2,506,423 
6,539,95° 

912,273 
1,228,800 
2,058,549 



40,610,075 



6,000 
8,000 



No. 
3,442,406 
6,055,950 
3,188,500 
2,281,400 
7,621,756 
597,000 
688,000 

i,5io,i75 

3,118,000 

3? 7, 000 

3,028.774 
2,768,000 
2,901 000 
224,000 
2,128,771 



295,225 49,9°7,732 



The Account of Provisions and Lumber imported into the British West Indies— continued. 









1804. 






1805. 






1806. 




SPECIES and ISLANDS. 


The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 


BUITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 


STATES 

. Of 

AMERICA. 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 


The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 


BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 


STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 


The 

UNITED 

KINGDOM. 


BRITISH 
Continental 
COLONIES. 


STATES 

of 

AMERICA. 


OTHER 
COUNTRIES. 


STAVES — Antigua .. 
Barbadoes 
Dominica 
Grenada . . 
Jamaica . . 
Montserrat 
Nevis .... 
St.Kitts .. 
St. Vincents 
Tortola . 
Trinidad . . 
Demerara 
St. Lucia . . 
Surinam .. 
Tobago .. 




No. 




No. 

17,800 
796,641 

12,840 

9,000 

120,494 

I5,80O 

7,000 
2,600 

30,400 


No. 

545.798 
834,994 

293,000 

539,897 
8,174,884 

30,500 
302,800 
452,862 
977,900 

97,000 
436,150 
1,479.862 
187,534 
134,743 
8l6,OI2 


No. 
45,000 

1 1,000 
1 2,00 Z 


No. 


No. 

*3,950 
31,080 
6,450 
I5,IOO 
82,489 

3,9°° 
2,700 

30,000 

30,000 

700 

5>50o 

2,000 
1,000 


No. 

818,090 
923,928 
265,000 
843,000 
9,697,079 
119,050 
112,400 

430,799 
673,700 

21,345 
618,994 
661,602 
3*7,394 

57,700 
715,065 


No. 
l8,000 

466,500 
105,000 


No. 


No. 

500 

22,196 

6,500 

14,880 

246,760 

14,300 

7,400 

9,000 

5,8oo 


No. 

952.430 

1,022,537 

431,700 

920,833 

",395,732 
117,600 
ZOI,000 

661,460 
1,460,800 

39.500 
845,571 

908,079 

198,500 

63.000 

946,187 


No. 
30,000 

IO ,000 

34,000 
7°,foo 

1,000 


Total.... 


..,,,,, 




1,012,575 


15,366,936 


68,500 




235,169 


16,285,146 


589,500 




3*7,336 


21,164,979 


1 135,500 



379 



No. VI1L 

An Account of the 'real Value of Exports from 
England to all Parts of America and the li tst 
Indies (exclusive of the United StatezJ, in 
the Years, ended the i()th of October, 1806, 
1807, und 1808 ; distinguishing British Ma- 
nufactures from foreign Merchandize. 



\ 


British 
Manufactures 


Foreign 
Merchandize. 


Total. 




£ 


£• 


£. 


Years, ended 10th October, 1806. 


7,275,9 11 


696,495 


/ 972,406 


180?. 


8,635,860 


650,761 


9,286,621 


1808 


12,041,320 


817,775 


12,859,095 



380 



No. IX. 



An Account of the real Value (according to the^ 
average Prices of the last three Years) of all 
Imports and Exports between Great Britain 
and the United States* of America, for three 
Years, ending 5th of January , 1808, distin- 
guishing each Year, and the principal Arti- 
cles of such Imports and Exports ; and also 
foreign Merchandize from Biitish Produce 
and Manufactures* 

Real Value of Imports from the United States 
of America. 





1805. 


1806. 


1807- 




& 


£ 


Annotto - 


6,290 


71,353 


64,402 


Ashes, Pearl aud Pot 


102,952 


, 138,498 


144,326 


Cochineal - 


720 


77,817 


9,104 


Coffee - 


18,259 


25,904 


66,636 


Corn, Grain and Meal 


151,322 


422,429 


922,308 


Hides . - 


15,985 


12,406 


18,590 


Indigo f 


12,756 


47,297 


69,909 


Pitch and Tar 


48,511 


34,378 


40,266 


Seeds; viz. Flax and Linseed 


1,652 


1 1 ,5C}0 


7,050 


Skins and Furs 


68,691 


65,062 


26,116 


Sugar - 


13,866 


51,173 


13,030 


Tobacco - 


313,487 


417,946 


447,883 


Turpentine - 


118,308 


100,822 


77,638 


Wood ; viz. Deals & Fir Timber 


36,164 


64,758 


131,741 


Mahogany 


30,378 


29,432 


81,482 


Masts - - - 


5,519 


10,121 


5,355 


Staves 


106,681 


130,203 


146,734 


Wool; viz. Cotton 


2,027,818 


2,566,720 


4,1 15,136 


Other articles - . - 


97,444 


73.825 


143,704.. 


Total Imports. 


4,076,803 


4,300,743 


6,531,410 



* Including Louisiana, 



381 



Real Value of Exports to the United States 
of America. 





1805. 


I806. 


1807- 




if- 


l> 


£■ 


Brass and Copper Manufactures 


90,342 


82,142 


168,004 


Cotton Goods 


3, 26'7, 843 


4,645,730 


4,609,211 


Glass and Earthenware 


165,563 


1 75, 5 CO' 


162,542 


Haberdashery 


245,433 


313,764 


310,862 


Hats - - f 


98,904 


99,260 


64,620 


Iron and Steel 


739,049 


684,678, 


773,188 


Lead 


72,003 


44,619 


31,166 


Linens - 


319,950 


289,044 


306,821 


Salt 


60,830 


84,68.0. 


81,574 


Silk Manufactures 


465,442 


425,165 


417,418 


Tin and Pewter 


56,550 


79,18.0 


75,875 


Woollens 


4,621,827 


4,866,178 


4,239,118 


Other articles 


815,732 


599,495 


606,114 


British Produce and \ 
Manufactures. / 








11,019,468 


12,389,488 


11,846,513 


Foreign Merchandize. 


427,471 


476,063 


251,42() 


Total Exports. 


11,446,939 


12,865,551 


12,0.97,94? 



382 



Xo. X. 



Efforts from Quebec— 1803. 



Wli 

Cri blinds 

Pease 

Oats 

Barley - 

Indian corn 

Hay« 

Fi.ur 

B ;cuit - 

k 
Bitro 

\ 
Oak timber 
Jftra -'tto 
rsjaple walnut . 
braves and bead 

"o ends - ~ . 
Boards abd plaaks - 
Op k 

Handspikes - 

uft 
Masts 
Bowspi 
Y «* - 
Soars - 

ps 
-Lata wood 
Scan t 

Punch, and hhd. p 
Madera do. 
;sh 
ion 
Ditto ... 
Herr: 



* d. 

- J 86708 bushels... n « 

to / o n 

■ 5S ..."-; 

-s6o9 dicta . . op 

to ! 4 J 

J tO ( 7 n 

" 424C2 barrels 4: g 

32587 quintals .... 24. 

140 

**arreta ?oo n 

«*» 60 

» 50 

:; ™ J 

perlSOO;/^, <J 

rtto .... go 
i-^: 7 per ditto 100 

15 

I 

,P^ P air .... 6 

V.::::: :03 ° 

i*»::::::::::- ; S 2 

;•: :::« 2 

J pieces 250 

2025 |J ° 

quintals .... i 4 

'?* 5 ieroes 8- 

ol barrels j C , 

J 



u\ 




$83 



Picitled fish 

Ditto 

Lard 

Ditto 

Butter 

Soap 

Tallow 

Candles 

Pickled tongues 

Rounds beef - H 

Ditto - - { 

Ditto - - J 

Hams 

Ditto 

Oxen 

Horses 

Calves 

Sheep 

Turkies 

Essence of spruce 

Iron stoves 

Shingles 

Ox horns 

Apples 

Onions 

Wool 

Hemp 

Ditto seed 

Oil 

Hops 

Mats 

Birch 

Castor oil 

Cast or urn 

CapiRaire - 

Ditto 

Malt 

Pot and pearl ashes 

New ships 

Beer 

Ditto 



Beaver 

Martin 

Otters 

Alink 

Fishers 



5. d. 

Brought Forward 

83 tierces 30 

519 bbls 20 

50 ditto 106 

393 kegs 40 

2660 do. andfirk... 40 

1142 boxes 32 6 

1 keg 20 

886 boxes 55 

45 kegs 30 

7 pun L. 90 0" 

83 bbls 332 0[ 

39 kegs 38 0J 

14 tierces 30O 

107 pieces 10 

26 100 

60 300 

4 10 

213 .. 15 

118 2 6 

150 casks 100 

1 27 80 

60500 10 

6485 1 

396 bbls. ...-.- 20 

83 ditto 20 

8 bales 200 

4719 lbs 4 

8 bbis 10 

9260 gallons 2 

1319 Ids 2 

143 6 

30 boards 5 

2 eases 60 

9 kegs 5 

17 punch ) 

9 casks ) 

9263 bushels 5 

I07652cwt.0qrs. 7ib.T . 
30838 barrels .... J ° 

3750 tons LAO 

29 hhds 80 O 

300 ditto .... 1 6 



FURS. 

126927 ..: 18 9 

9530 3 4 

7230 20 

9108 2 

3866 4 



460 

210 

53 

130 

900 

2 

159 

6 

750 

508 

SO 

27 

396 

83 

80 

78 

4 

926 

131 



6 

17 



100 

740 

296,043 

37,500 
116 
1S5 



£• 


s. 


d. 


381,974 


4 | 


6 


124 


10 





519 








400 








786 








5,200 


(V 





1,855 


15 





] 








2,436 


10 





67 


10 






732,970 



13 8,994 

1,588 

7,230 

910 

773 

129,496 




10 




(1 

15 




5 






15 




18 
11 
10 


15 



15 

a 







1 

6 


16 













5 







o 

6 








5\ 






10 



3 
8 
O 



11 



JFoxes 

Bears and cubs 

Deers 

Cased and open cat 

Racoons 

Jviuskcats 

Wolf 

Elk 

Woolvereens - 

Seals 

Buffalo - 



384 

Brought forward 

1035 5 

1298 2S O 

103875 3 4 

57.8 3 4 

123507 2 

6513 16 

18 7 6 

662' 15 

39 5 

10 4 

1 20 

Furs 

General 



Add expence of the military department, which has 
been more this year than usual. 



£• 


s. 


& 


[} T129.496 


7 


11 


259 


t : ° 


O 


1,622 


i 





17,312 


10 





953 


o 





12.330 ' 


14 





4'. 8 





6 


6 


15 





496 


^0 





o 


15 





2 





o 


1 








169,979 


1 


5 


732,970 


5 


10 


895,949 


1 


3 


200,000 




7 





1,095,949 


3 



334 vessels cleared at the Custom-house. 
70275 tons. 
3330 men. 

To illustrate more fully the above tonnage in 1808, as in- 
creased by the natural amelioration of the country, and by the 
embargo in America, let us compare it with the tonnage of the 
shipping of the years 1806 — 33,996. 

1807—42,293. 
The increase is conspicuous. 



-# 



385 



No. XL 

To the Right Hon. Lord Hobart, one of His 

Majejiy's principal Secretaries of State, 

8$c* Sfc. 

The Memorial and Petition of the Merchants and other Inhabitants 
of New Brunswick, 

Humbly sheweth, 

THAT after the settlement of this province by the American 
loyalists in the year 1733, its inhabitants eagerly engaged in endea- 
rouring to supply with fish and lumber the British possessions in the 
West Indies, and by their exertions they had, within the first ten 
years, built ninety-three square-rigged vessels, and seventy-one sloops 
and schooners, which were principally employed in that trade. There 
was the most flattering prospect that this trade would have rapidly 
increased, when the late war breaking out, the Governors of the 
West India islands admitted, by proclamation, the vessels of the 
United States of America to supply them with every thing they 
wanted \ by which means the rising trade of this province has been 
materially injured, and the enterprising spirit of its inhabitants se- . 
verely checked. For the citizens of the. United States, having none 
of the evils of war to encounter, are not subject to the high rates of 
insurance on their vessels and cargoes, nor to the great advance in 
the wages of seamen, to which, by the imperious circumstances of 
the times, British subjects are unavoidably liable. And being ad- 
mitted by proclamation, they are thereby exempt from a transient 
and parochial duty of two and a half to five per cent, exacted in the 
West India islands from British subjects. 

Admission into the British ports in the West Indies having been 
once obtained by the Americans, their government has spared neither 
pains nor expence to increase \he\i fisheries, so essential to that trade. 
By granting a bounty of nearly 20s. per ton on all vessels employed in 
the cod fishery, they have induced numbers to turn their attention to 
that business, and now the principal part of the cod fishery in the 
Biy of Fundy is engrossed by them. 

c c 



386 

The county of Charlotte being separated from the United States 
only by a navigable river, the Americans have, under the foregoing 
advantages, been enabled to carry off annually (to be reshipped for the 
West India market) nearly three millions of feet of boards cut in that 
part of this province, and also a large proportion of the fish caught 
and cured by British subjects in the Bay of Passamaquoddy. 

These discouraging circumstances have prevented the trade in fish 
and lumber from this province to the West Indies from increasing 
since the year 1793, and would have totally annihilated it, had not the 
province possessed advantages in point of situation so favourable for 
that trade, as to enable its inhabitants to continue the establishments 
already made for that purpose. What those advantages are, your 
memorialists now beg leave to state to your Lordship. 

The sea coast of this province abounds with cod and scale fish, and 
its rivers are annually visited by immense shoals of herrings, shad, and 
salmon. The numerous harbours along the coast are most conve- 
niently situated for carrying on the cod fishery, which may be prose- 
cuted to any extent imaginable. The herrings which frequent the 
rivers of this province are a species peculiarly adapted for the West 
India market; being equally nutritious with the common herrings, 
and possessed of a greater degree of firmness, they are capable of 
being kept longer in a warm climate. In such abundance are they 
annually to be found, that the quantity cured can only be limited by 
the insufficient number of hands employed in the business. 

The interior of this province, as well as the parts bordering on the 
sea coast, is every where intersected by rivers, creeks, and lakes, on 
the margin of which, or at no great distance from them, the country 
for the most part is covered with inexhaustible forests of pine, spruce, 
birch, beech, maple, elm, fir, and other timber, proper for masts of 
any size, lumber, and ship-building. The smaller rivers afford ex- 
cellent situations for saw-mills, and every stream, by the melting of 
the snow in the spring, is rendered deep enough to float down the 
masts and lumber of every description, which the inhabitants have 
cut and brought to its banks, during the long and severe winters of 
this climate, when their agricultural pursuits are necessarily suspend- 
ed. The lands in the interior of the province are generally excellent, 
and where cleared, have proved very productive. 

Great advances have not hitherto been made in agriculture for 
want of a sufficient number of inhabitants, yet within a few years 



387 

there has remained, beyond our dome6tic supply, a considerable sur- 
plus in horses, salted provisions, and butter, for exportation. And 
your memorialists look forward with confidence to a rapid increase 
in the exports of those articles, for which the soil and climate of this 
country are well adapted. 

Possessing so many local advantages, your memorialists feel them- 
selves warranted in stating to your Lordship, that, were not the Ame- 
ricans admitted into the British ports in the West Indies, the fisheries 
of this and the neighbouring colonies, if duly encouraged, would, 
with the regular supply from the united kingdoms, furnish the 
British West India islands with all the fish they would require. And 
that in a few years the supply of lumber from this province, which 
already exceeds ten millions of feet annually, would, with the excep- 
tion of staves only, be equal to the demand in the said islands. And 
your memorialists farther confidently state, that these provinces 
would furnish shipping sufficient to carry from the United States all 
the flour, corn, and staves, which the British West Indies would stand 
in need of beyond what the Canadian provinces could furnish. 

During the peace from 1783 to 1793, American vessels' were not 
admitted into the British West India islands, (the whole trade of 
those islands being carried on during that period in British bottoms) 
and at no time have the supplies been more abundant or more reason- 
able. Were the Americans excluded from those islands, this and 
the neighbouring provinces could now furnish a much larger propor- 
tion than formerly of the supplies required, and a rapid and pro- 
gressive increase might annually be expected. But should the Ame- 
ricans obtain by treaty a right to participate in that trade, not only 
will the farther progress of improvement in this province be interrupt- 
ed, but many of its most industrious inhabitants, unable to procure 
a subsistence here, will be urged to forego the blessings of the British 
constitution, to which they are most sincerely and zealously attached, 
and to seek for an establishment in the United States of America. 
That great advantages would result to the British nation from pro- 
viding a sure and permanent supply of those essential articles for its 
West India islands, independent of foreign assistance, must be ob- 
vious. The inhabitants of those islands, forming commercial con- 
nexions only with their fellow subjects, would continue the more 
unalterably attached in their dutiful affection and loyalty to the 
parent state ; and there would be the less reason to dread the conse- 



588 

quences of any misunderstanding that might hereafter arise between 
Great Britian and the United States of America. The introduction 
into the West Indies of contraband articles, particularly teas, and all 
kinds of East India manufactures, (a traffic which the Americans now 
carry on to an enormous extent) would thereby be checked, and the 
whole benefit of the trade of those islands secured to British subjects. 
If thu9 aided and supported against the views of the Americans, the 
trade of these northern provinces would speedily acquire new and 
increasing vigour, and (which may be an important consideration) 
soon render them valuable nurseries of seamen for the British navy, 
that grand security to the commerce and prosperity of his majesty's 
kingdoms and colonies. 

Your memorialists therefore most humbly pray, Sec, 

Stilt John, New Brunswick, 11th May, 1804, 



889 



No. XII. 



To the Right Honourable Lord Hobart, one of His 

Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, 

$c. $c. 



The Petition of the Merchants, and other Inhabitants of Halifax, in 
the Province of Nova Scotia, 

Humbly sheweth, 

THAT the trade of this province arises principally from the fish 
caught on its coasts, great quantities of which are exported annually 
by your petitioners to the West India islands. That in the pursuit of 
this commerce, your petitioners are rivalled by the citizens of the 
American States, to whom the ports of those islands are ever open, 
and who are exempt from duties and other expences to which your 
petitioners are liable. Your petitioners have heard, that in the ex- 
isting negociation, relative to the twelfth article of the treaty with 
America, the Americans aim at a further extension of their trade with 
the British West India islands, which, if obtained, would utterly ruin 
the already declining fisheries of the British colonies, whence the na- 
tion has long derived much wealth, and its navy a supply of hardy 
seamen. 

That the coasts of this province, as well as the Gulph of St. Lwa- 
rence, and the islands of Newfoundland and Cape Breton, abound 
with fish of the most valuable sorts; so that with encouragement these 
colonies would satisfy, to its utmost extent, the demand of the West 
India islands for dry and pickled fish. 

Your petitioners, therefore, most humbly pray, that your Lord- 
ship, and his majesty's other ministers, would take the premises, and 
the annexed memorial, into consideration, and would protect the trade 
and fisheries of his majesty's subjects in these colonies against the 
views of the Americans, by granting to the British colonists the ex- 



390 

elusive privilege of supplying their fellow subjects in the West Indies 
with the article of fish caught on the coasts of North America. 

(Signed) y William Sabatier, 

William Smith, 
George Grassic, 
James Fraser, 
William Lyon, 

Committee appointed by the Merchants, and other 
Inhabitants of Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

Halifax. Nova Scotia, March 23d, 1804, 



391 



Memorial and Statement of the Cast referred to in the annexed 

Petition. 

AS every British province and island in these northern climates 
is individually able to furnish the West India islands with some essen- 
tial article of consumption, which in whole, or in part, is deficient 
in others, the Petitioners, in the following statement, have extended 
their observations beyond the limits of the single province in which 
they reside. 

The West India islands require to be supplied with the undermen- 
tioned articles, viz. 

From the Fisheries. — Dried cod fish, barrel or pickled fish, viz. sal- 
mon, herring (of various species), and mackarel and oil. 
Forest. — Lumber, viz. squared timber, scantling, planks and boards, 

shingles, clapboards, hoops, and oak staves. 
Agriculture. — Biscuits and flour, Indian corn and meal, pork, beef, 

butter, cheese, potatoes, and onions ; live stock, viz. horses, oxen, 

hogs, sheep and poultry. 
Mines. — Coals. 

Of these arcicles, the following are produced by the several colo- 
nies. — New Brunswick produces, in the greatest abundance, lumber 
of every kind, except oak staves ; it yields already many of the smaller 
articles which serve to complete a cargo, and its shores abound with 
various fish fit for pickling. Nova Scotia produces lumber of all 
sorts, except oak staves, but in a lesser degree than New Brunswick ; 
horses, oxen, sheep, and all the other productions of agriculture, ex- 
cept wheat and Indian corn ; the Eastern and Northern parts of the 
province abound in coal, and its whole coast yields inexhaustible 
quantities of cod fish, and others fit for pickling. 

Cape Breton and Prince Edward islands j the former yields coal in 
abundance, its fisheries are considerable ; but without dealing directly 
with the West Indies, they serve to increase the exports of Nova Sco- 
tia. Both these islands supply Newfoundland with cattle, and with 
due encouragement would rival some of the more opulent colonies, 
in articles of agriculture ; their fisheries also may be greatly extend- 
ed, as the whole circuit of these islands abound in fish. 

Canada can supply any quantity of oak staves, as well as flour and 
Indian com, for six months in the year. Newfoundland yields little 



S92 

lumber, but its trade in dried cod fish has hitherto, in a great mea* 
sure, supplied all Europe and the West Indies, and it is capable of 
still greater extension 

The petitioners have therefore no hesitation in affirming, that these 
mother colonies are able to supply the West Indies with dried fish, 
and every species of pickled fish, for their consumption ; and that 
at no very distant period they could also supply all the other articles 
herein before enumerated, except, perhaps, flour, Indian meal and 
corn, and oak staves. 

Having stated the foregoing facts, the petitioners beg leave to re- 
quest the attention of his Majesty's ministers to the peculiar circum- 
stances of this province, the permanent establishment of which took 
place about fifty-four years ago; for previous to the settlement of 
Halifax, there were few inhabitants in it, and but little trade. The 
mother country, sensible of the favourable situation of this colony for 
fisheries, that its harbours are seldom more than a few miles from 
each other, and that its extensive sea coast teems every season with 
shoals of fish of the most useful sorts, made every effort to establish 
them. The fisheries, however, until the close of thcAmerican war, 
languished from one cause only — the want of inhabitants. The influx 
of inhabitants at that time, and since, has promoted industry and 
domestic comfort, and a race of people born on the soil have become 
attached to it. The clearing of the lands, and other causes, have 
improved the climate; and by a late survey of the interior of the 
Province, it is discovered that the lands are not only better than had 
been imagined, but superior to the greater part of the rest of North 
America. 

The present situation of this Proyince with regard to its trade, re- 
sembles that of New England at the close of the seventeenth century ; 
and unless checked at this crisis, it has the most reasonable expec- 
tation of a more rapid increase than the latter ever experienced. 

Encouraged by the prospect before them, and conscious of the 
abuses that have crept into the fisheries, the Petitioners are looking 
forward to the aid of the Provincial Legislature, and to other means, 
for correcting those abuses and for establishing and improving the 
fisheries, that great source of wealth to the parent state, the colonial 
husbandman, and merchant : but they perceive with regret, that their 
efforts will prove ineffectual, unless the citizens of the United States, 
according to the ancient policy of Great Britain towards foreigners, 



393 

are wholly or partially excluded from the islands, or a permanent 
equivalent is granted to the colonists. 

The American Legislature has rejected the 12th Article of the late 
Treaty ; the citizens of the United States would have been excluded 
from the West Indies, if the governors of those islands had not, under 
the plea of necessity, by proclamation, admitted them. In this trade 
the Americans possess the following advantages over the colonists. 

First, — In the Islands of Barbadoes, Antigua, Saint Kitt's, and Ja- 
maica, a stranger's duty of two and a half, or more, per cent, is im- 
posed on imports, and in the Island of Saint Vincent, British subjects 
exclusively are subject to a duty of three per cent, which must be 
paid in specie, and to procure which a forced sale is frequently made 
of part of the cargo to great disadvantage. From this duty the Ame- 
ricans, being invited by proclamation, are exempt. 

Second, — During the late and present war, the citizens of the 
United States, being neutrals, have not been burthened with the 
heavy charge of insurance against the enemy, which to the colonists 
has increased the premium ten per cent, to the smaller islands, and 
twelve and a half per cent, to Jamaica. 

Third, — The northern States have granted a bounty of near 20 
shillings per ton, on vessels in their fisheries. 

From those circumstances, so unable are the petitioners to contend 
with the Americans in the West India markets, that they derive 
greater advantage by selling their fish at an inferior price in the 
United States j whence the Americans re-export them to the West 
India Islands under the above-mentioned advantages, so as to make 
a profit even on their outward voyage. 

It is well known, and in an ample report made to Congress in the 
years 179O and 1791, by the now President of the United States, then 
their Secretary of State, it was set forth, that the fisheries of New 
England were on the verge of ruin, and he recommended, what was 
afterwards adopted,— the grant of a bounty to counterbalance the 
disadvantages the trade then laboured under. At that period, the 
fisheries of Nova Scotia made a rapid increase ; the whale fishery alone 
from the port of Halifax 'consisted of twenty-eight sail of ships and 
brigs from 60 to 200 tons burthen j but the succeeding war and other 
unfavourable circumstances soon destroyed this important branch of 
the fishery. By the aid of bounties from the State Legislature, the 
American fisheries recovered their former vigour, and are now car- 



394 

lied on with great spirit, increasing their trade with the West Indies 
to an incredible extent ; considerable numbers of our best fishermen 
have emigrated from Newfoundland and this Province, to the United 
States, within a few months, and more are daily following them : 
thus it appears evident, that a wise policy, steadily pursued, will pre- 
serve a sinking trade, and that this Province is not wanting in exer- 
tion, when favourable opportunities for it are offered. 

Should the Americans obtain by treaty an indulgence of their trade 
in fish with the West Indies, it will prove the ruin of that of the British 
Northern Colonies, and draw away from them their most industrious 
inhabitants. The islands will then depend on Foreign States for sup- 
plies of all the articles before enumerated ; and if at any time hereafter 
differences should take place between Great Britain and the Ameri- 
can States, from what quarter, it may be asked, are the Islands to 
obtain their supplies; the ruined trade and fisheries of those colonies 
may prove, too late, the fatal policy of throwing into the hands of 
foreigners a trade, which, with a little encouragement, might have 
been almost, if not entirely, confined to British subjects. 

From these considerations the justice and policy of giving en- 
couragement to the Northern Colonies are evident. Should the 
strangers duty, imposed in the Islands, be taken off; should a bounty 
equal to that granted by the State Legislature be allowed, and the 
present war succeeded by a peace, then may the West India Islands 
receive from these Colonies supplies of all kinds of dried or pickled 
fish, on terms as advantageous as they are now furnished with them 
from a Foreign State. It is obvious that the Americans, and the 
West India planters, have a mutual interest in the free trade tc the 
Islands, but the planters have no right to expect supplies from a neu- 
tral nation in time of war, merely because it affords them at a cheaper 
rate than the British Colonies ; they should bear the inconveniences 
of war as well as their fellow subjects, who have been driven into 
these northern regions by their zealous loyalty in support of the 
happy constitution under which they now live. The supplies required 
by the Islands cannot greatly increase; while the Northern Colonies, 
from their great extent and growing population, will every year be 
more and more able to furnish those supplies. The Islands are, in a 
measure, 'limited in their extent; but the Northern Colonies are 
almost unbounded. 
The inhabitants of those colonies have acquired their present con- 



395 

dition, which, at best, is mediocrity, by a continued exertion of in- 
dustry and frugality, under a climate and a soil, which yield their 
blessings to persevering exertion alone. The West India planters have 
ever been in a different situation, and can afford to wait a reasonable 
time for the accomplishment of those expectations which are justly 
entertained by the colonists ; in the interim, they ought to give a 
fair equivalent for the articles of which they stand in need, and not 
expect, at an inferior price, commodities whose value the imperious 
circumstances of the times have tended to enhance. The northern 
colonists have struggled with all the difficulties incident to a young 
country, and they are now arrived at a period, when, if duly encou- 
raged, they may be enabled to reap the fruits of their honest labours 
but restricted in their trade to the Mediterranean by an ancient regu- 
lation, which obliges them to land their cargoes in some English 
.European port, before they can proceed on homeward-bound voy- 
ages, and burthened also in the manner here stated in the West 
India trade, the petitioners cannot contend with the Americans, but 
look forward with the most distressful prospects to means of procur- 
ing a future subsistence, unless his Majesty, in his goodness, shall be 
pleased to afford them protection and relief. They therefore anxi- 
ously hope, that the observations contained in this memorial may not 
appear unworthy of the attention of his Majesty's ministers, but that 
whatever temporary indulgences may be granted to the American 
citizens, the British colonists, agreeably to their former solicitations 
on that subject, may be permitted to return to America, without 
entering at any port in Great Britain. 



My Lord, Halifax, Jan. 30, 1805. 

We the Committee of the merchants and inhabitants of Halifax, 
Nova Scotia, who presented to Lord Hobart, your Lordship's prede- 
cessor, a petition, praying that the British colonists might have the 
exclusive right of supplying his Majesty's West India islands with 
fish, have lately seen, in print, a letter written to your Lordship by 
G. W. Jordan, Esq. Colonial Agent for Barbadoes, containing ob- 
servations on our petition, and the memorial annexed to it ; we 
think it our duty briefly to answer those observations, and to enforce 
the object of our petition. 



396 

Mr. Jordan's first remark is founded on a misconception or per- 
version of the allegation of the petitioners : we assert in our memorial 
'** that in the islands of Barbadoes, Antigua, Saint Kitt's, and Ja- 
** maica, a stranger's duty, of two and a half per cent, is imposed on 
" imports, and that in the island of Saint Vincent, British subjects, 
te exclusively, are subject to a duty of three per cent. ;" no charge 
is therefore made, that the duty is not general in the island of Bar- 
badoes ; the charge is clearly confined to the single island of Saint 
Vincent. 

We are not alarmed, my Lord, at the reference made by Mr. 
Jordan to papers which were not intended for his inspection, but for 
private information only ; since those papers contain no other facts 
than such as can be proved. The practice in the West India islands 
of keeping the ports always open to the Americans, amounts, in our 
apprehension, to the grant of a free trade; and that goods of foreign 
manufacture are by these means introduced into the islands no one 
■who is at all acquainted with the character and practices of the 
American traders can doubt. We lament that, even in these colo- 
nies, into whose ports no American vessels are admitted, except fish- 
ing vessels, which by treaty are allowed to resort to our coasts, such 
quantities of foreign goods do find admittance, that it is to be feared 
more than half the East India goods consumed in this province is 
supplied from the neighbouring States of America. 

We do not, as Mr. Jordan is pleased to assert, claim a right of 
selling our own commodities at our own prices in time of war; but 
we contend that, when the article of fish is furnished from the 
northern colonies, in abundance, although increased in price by the 
war expences, the West India colonists ought not, on that account, 
to require or permit the introduction of it from foreign states, and in 
foreign bottoms ; especially as the fish is generally paid for in the pro- 
duce of the islands, of which the planters take care to raise the price 
in proportion. That these northern colonies can supply the islands 
with their whole consumption of fish, and at reasonable prices, can 
be easily proved, and that they are, therefore, entitled to do so, exclu- 
sively , Mr. Jordan himself admits. 

The right of the West India colonists to obtain from the Ame- 
rican States all articles of the first necessity, which they cannot ade- 
quately obtain from the dominions of Great Britain, is not disputed 
by us ; but we assert that the article of fish can be adequately ob« 



397 

tained from the British colonies. That the allowing supplies to fos 
imported in American bottoms has been destructive to the British 
carrying trade, has been lately demonstrated by a very able writer oft 
the subject} and that the indulgences granted to the Americans have 
injured the fisheries, and greatly reduced the tonnage and seamen 
employed in these colonies, we can assert from our own sad experi- 
ence. An inspection into the imports and exports of the island of 
Jamaica for one year, as laid before their House of Assembly, and 
published in the Jamaica almanack for the last year, will shew how 
large a portion of the West India carrying trade is engrossed by the 
Americans. 

If, my Lord, we have stated in our memorial that it is, now, 
more advantageous for the merchants of this colony to dispose of their 
fish in the United States, than to send it to the West India islands,— 
we have made it a subject of complaint ; and at the same time have 
set forth the reasons why the Americans rival us in that trade. Were 
our commerce with the islands placed on a fair foundation, the same 
British ships would convey our fish thither, which now carry it to 
the American markets. But burdened as that trade is with insurance 
against the enemy, and confined as it is, and ought to be, to a fair 
dealing in legitimate merchandize, we contend in those ports with 
the Americans at every disadvantage. 

Had Mr. Jordan fairly observed on our petition and memorial, 
he would not have asserted that the positive affirmation in the for- 
mer, ** that these provinces can supply the West Indies with fish," 
was shaken by a subsequent observation, " that, under certain cir- 
** cumstances, the trade and fisheries of these colonies would be 
Kt ruined, which, with encouragement, might be almost, if not 
" entirely, confined to British subjects." The observation refers 
expressly to the trade in all the articles enumerated in the memorial ; 
the affirmation is confined to the single article of fish. One read- 
ing of the paragraph referred to will entirely refute Mr. Jordan's 
remark. 

Having already, my Lord, observed that the increase of the price 
of fish, occasioned by war, is no just ground for the introduction of 
that article, from foreign ports, and in foreign vessels, we shall not, 
follow Mr. Jordan in the curious inference he undertakes to draw 
from our admission, that, in war time, the Americans can under- 
sell us in fish. So little are we disposed to require an extravagant 



398 

price for our fish, that we most readily would accede to Mr. Jordan's 
proposal, of fixing the maximum price of cod fish at eight dollars, in 
time of war; and, indeed, could we obtain even three-fourths of 
that price, generally, during the war, the fisheries would soon flou- 
rish again, and the islands be at all times amply supplied with fish. 

On the two facts with which Mr. Jordan closes his observations, 
we shall only remark that the former is conceded by us as to the 
flour and grain imported into Nova Scotia from the United States ; 
and it is perfectly consistent with our memorial, in which we con- 
fess that this province is deficient in the articles of wheat and corn. 
The other fact we must dispute ; and although we are not provided 
with documents to ascertain the tonnage employed between the Bri- 
tish North American provinces and the West India islands, for the 
particular year 1791, yet we are furnished with returns of the ton- 
nage employed in the trade to and from the West India islands for 
the year 179&, and entered at the Custom-house in Halifax, being 
for one only of the two districts into which this province is divided, 
and which we beg leave to insert, as follows : 

Inwards. 

719 

3605 

385 

1862> 
4 



1792. 


Outwards. 


Spring quarter, 


- 886 


Midsummer ditto, 


- 1436$ 


Michaelmas ditto, 


- 2397 


Christmas ditto, 


- 1770 


Tons 


648y§ 



Tons 657 l* 
4 



It is therefore incredible, that, in the year 1791 only, 4837 tons 
were employed in the trade between all the British northern pro- 
vinces and the West India islands, when, in the subsequent year, 
it appears by an authentic return, that in one district, of one pro- 
vince, upwards of six thousand tons were actually engaged in that 
commerce. 

Here, my Lord, we conclude our observations on Mr. Jordan's 
letter ; nor shall we presume to intrude on your Lordship's patience 
further than to state one fact, which must demonstrate the effi- 
ciency of the British colonies, or at least of British shipping, to sup- 
ply the demands of the West India markets. From the year 1785, 
to the year 1794, American ships were excluded from the West 



399 

India islands, yet they were, during that period, so well provided 
with articles of the first necessity, that ships from these colonies were 
frequently unable to find a sale for their cargoes in our own islands, 
and were obliged to resort to foreign islands for a market. By re- 
turns collected from the merchants of this province, engaged in the 
West India trade, we find that the prices obtained by them for cod 
fish, from the year 1785, to the year 1792 inclusive, never exceeded 
five dollars per quintal, and sometimes fell short of half that sum. 
In the year 1793 we meet with a single instance of cod fish selling 
for six dollars j but the common price, even in that first year of the 
war, was not more than three and a half dollars per quintal. The 
cheapness, therefore, of this article clearly proves the abundance 
of it in the West India islands, and consequently that the allowing 
the Americans to import fish in American ships was not a measure 
of necessity. 

We have the honour to be, with the greatest respect, 

Your Lordship's 

Most obedient and most humble servants, 

(Signed) - William Salatier, 

William Smith, 

George Grassic, 

James Fraser, and 

William Lyon. 
The Right Hon. Lord Camden, 

&*c. &c. &c, , 



400 



No. XIII. 
NEW BRUNSWICK. 

Address respecting the Islands in Passamaquoddy 

Bay. 

To the Honourable Gabriel G. Ludlow, Esquire, President 
of his Majesty's Council> and Commander in Chief of the Pro- 
vince of New Brunswick, &c. &c. 

The joint Address of his Majesty's Council, and the House of 
Representatives of the Province of New Brunswick, in Ge- 
neral Assembly. 

Sir, 

HAVING long entertained a confident hope, that the possession 
of Moose Island, Dudley Island, and Frederick Island, in Passa- 
maquoddy bay, usurped by the State of Massachusetts, would never 
be sanctioned by any act, or avowed acquiescence on the pait of his 
Majesty's government ; but that his Majesty's indisputable right to 
these islands would in due time be effectually asserted j it is with 
very great concern that we now find, from a passage in a letter from 
Mr. Merry, to your honour, stating the communications made to 
him by Mr. Madison, the American Secretary of State, on the sub« 
ject of these islands, that the United States do actually consider their 
present possession as having been so sanctioned j and that they are 
prepared to construe his Majesty's forbearance in this behalf, as 
having already warranted their claim of an entire right to these 
islands. \ 

In the letter above referred to, Mr. Merry states, (S that the Ame- 
" rican minister observed to him, that since his Majesty's govern- 
t( ment have allowed the United States to remain in possession of 



401 

*' the above-mentioned islands, the icaters which surround them, to 
r « the distance to which the jurisdiction of any territory is usually 
'* understood to extend, ought equally to he considered as American ; 
" and added, that although he could not properly refer, on this oc- 
'* casion, to the convention between his Majesty and the United 
" States, concluded in London, on the 12th of May, 1803, because 
ts it had not been ratified, nevertheless, by that convention, the 
" islands in question were declared to belong to the United States ; 
" an arrangement which would probably be confirmed whenever the 
u matter of the boundary line between the two territories should 
'* again be brought into discussion ; the more so, because it was not 
" the article respecting the eastern boundary on the side of New 
*' Brunswick which occasioned the convention to remain unra- 
« tified." 

As a hope may be entertained that the convention referred to by 
Mr. Madison respecting these islands may not yet be ratified, we 
request ) r our honour to transmit to his Majesty's ministers this our 
joint address, on a subject of such importance to his Majesty's 
government, and the rights and interests of his faithful subjects in 
this province. 

After the full discussion of the question of right to these island 1 ), 
in the correspondence between his Majesty's ministers and his excel- 
lency the lieutenant-governor of this province, on former occasions, 
particularly his excellency's dispatch to his Grace the Duke of Port- 
land, dated 5th August, 1799, ana * the letters and documents therein 
mentioned, it may be thought superfluous to do more than generally 
to refer to those papers on the present occasion. We trust, however, 
that the magnitude of the object will justify our attempt to bring 
within a small compass the result of those discussions, adding thereto 
some further observations which more immediately press upon our 
attention, and which we hope will merit the consideration of his 
Majesty's ministers. 

That part of the second article of the treaty of peace between his 
Majesty and the United States which respects the present question 
is expressed as follows : " East, by a line to be drawn along the 
** middle of the river St. Croix, from its mouth in the Bay of Fundy, 
** to its source, &:c. comprehending all islands within twenty leagues 
'** of any part of the shores of the United States, and lying between 
•* lines to be drawn due east from the points where the aforesaid 



402 

tf boundaries between Nova Scotia on the one part, and East Flo- 
" rida on the other part, shall respectively touch the Bay of Fundy, 
f( and the Atlantic Ocean, excepting such islands as now are, or 
" heretofore have been, within the limits of the said province of 
" Nova Scotia." 

The islands hereby granted are evidently such, and such only, 
as are within twenty leagues of the coast, and also lie between those 
parallels of latitudes by which the shores of the ceded country are 
limited at theirt* rthem'and southern extremities. Hence all islands, 
not within those parallels, however near they may be to the shore, 
are clearly excluded from the grant ; and of those which are within 
the parallels, all such as then were, or ever had been, within the 
limits of Nova Scotia, are also excluded. From the treaty of peace, 
therefore, the United States can derive no shadow of claim to the 
islands in question ; and his Majesty's original right to them remains 
entire and incontestable. 

For, we believe, it has never been controverted, even by the Ame- 
rican government, that these islands, always before the treaty of 
peace, were comprehended within the limits, and constituted a part 
of the province of Nova Scotia, which it was the obvious intention 
of the treaty to reserve to his Majesty, by its utmost limits • a refer- 
ence to the original boundaries of the province in Sir William Alex- 
ander^ patent, and to the description of the boundaries in all the 
commissions to his Majesty's governors of the province, and the ac- 
tual grant of two of these islands to Francis Bernard, and others, by 
letters patent under the seal of the province of Nova Scotia, bearing 
date the 30th October, 1765, place this fact beyond all dispute. 

These islands, at the time when the province of New Brunswick 
was erected in the year 1?84, were all possessed and inhabited by 
his Majesty's subjects ; they were, by an act of the General Assem- 
bly of the province, passed in January, 178G, for the purpose of 
dividing the several countries into towns and parishes, expressly made 
a part of the parish of West Isles, in the county of Charlotte ; and 
their inhabitants yielded obedience to the laws of the province, in 
attending to the several duties which they were called upon to per- 
form by the courts and magistrates established and appointed in that 
county*; and we cannot but consider it as a matter of serious regret, 
that the possession of these islands, shortly afterwards usurped by the 
State of Massachusetts, and hitherto continued, has given rise to a 



403 

claim of territorial right, on the part of that State, founded merely 
upon that possession. 

We now beg leave briefly to hint at some of the mischiefs and 
inconveniences which have resulted from this continued usurpation. 
Very large quantities of lumber, furnished from the neighbouring 
parts of the province, are purchased by the American subjects, and 
carried to these islands for exportation ; which lumber is paid for 
with prohibited articles from the United States; and they in the 
same manner engross almost the whole of the produce of the fish- 
eries among these islands, which is also paid for in the same man- 
ner ; and thus we sustain a double injury. The West India islands 
are, in a great measure, precluded from receiving their supplies of 
fish and lumber in British bottoms ; and large quantities of contra- 
band goods are introduced into this province, to the great injury of 
the commercial interests of Great Britain, as well as of the fair mer- 
chants and traders residing here. 

Their situation enables the inhabitants of these islands to engross a 
very great proportion of the plaster trade from this and the neigh- , 
bouring province of Nova Scotia, which is now become of great 
magnitude and extent, whereby his Majesty's subjects are deprived 
of a very highly valuable carrying trade in this article. 

These islands are become places of refuge for insolvent debtors, and 
disorderly persons of every description, particularly of deserters from his 
Majesty's service : all attempts to recover whom are insolently resisted. 

By the possession of these islands, great facility is given to the 
conveyance, in small vessels, of contraband articles of every descrip- 
tion to various parts of this province and Nova Scotia ; so that the 
fair British merchant can have no equal competition with these illicit 
traders, even in the sale of British and West Indian goods. 

Whereas, on the contrary, if these islands were in the possession 
of his Majesty's subjects, very large quantities of fish and lumber 
w r ould be thereby furnished by them for the supply of the British 
West India islands, the present ruinous contraband trade greatly 
interrupted, and a very beneficial carrying trade, in the article of 
plaster of Paris, in a great measure secured. 

Or, if the Americans were dispossessed of these islands, there is 
no other situation in that neighbourhood which could give them the 
advantages and opportunities to injure the trade of this province, 
which they now enjoy. 



404 

To these considerations it may be added, that in case of hostilities 
at any time in the United States, or countenance given by them to, 
hostile attacks from any other country, the province, by the posses- 
sion of these islands, would, in that quarter, be rendered more se- 
cure from attack, and capable of defence. 

Impressed with the importance of the foregoing considerations, 
we indulge the hope, that the transmission of this address by your 
honour to his Majesty's ministers may he productive of important 
benefits to the interests and welfare of his Majesty's subjects in this 
province. 

(Signed) 

G. D. Ludlow, Speaker of the Council. 

A. Botsford, Speaker of the House of Assembly* 

Presented in March, 1807. 
Transmitted in June, 1807. 



LBA g ?9 



405 



No. XIV. 



Declaration as to the Boundaries of the River 

St. Croix. 

Thomas Barclay, David Howell, and Egbert Benson, 
Commissioners appointed in pursuance of the fifth Article of the 
Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, between his' Bri- 
tannic Majesty and the United States of America, finally to de- 
cide the Question, " What River was truly intended under the 
Name of the River St. Croix, mentioned in the Treaty of Peace, 
between his Majesty and the United~States, and forming a Part of 
the Boundary therein described, " 

DECLARATION. 

WE, the said commissioners, having been sworn impartially to 
examine and decide the said question according to such evidence as 
should respectively be laid before us, on the part of the British go- 
vernment and of the United States, and having heard the evidence 
which hath been laid before us by the agent of his Majesty, and the 
agent of the United States respectively appointed, and authorized to 
manage the business on behalf of the respective governments, have 
decided, and hereby do decide the river hereinafter particularly de* 
scribed and mentioned, to be the river truly intended under the name 
of the river St. Croix, in the said treaty of peace, and forming a part 
pf the boundary therein described ; that is to say, the mouth of the 
said river is in Passamaquoddy J5ay, at a point of land called Joe's 
Point, about one mile northward from the northern part of St. An- 
drew's Island, and in the latitude of forty-five degrees five minutes 
and five seconds north, and in the longitude of sixty-seven degrees 



406 

twelve minutes and thirty seconds west from the Royal Observatory 
at Greenwich, in Great Britain, and three degrees fifty-four minutes 
and fifteen seconds east from Harvard College, in the University of 
Cambridge, in the State of Massachusetts ; and the course of the 
said river, up from its said mouth, is northerly, to a point of land 
called the Devil's Head, then turning, the said point is westerly, to 
where it divides into two streams, the one coming from the west- 
ward, and the other coming from the northward, having the name 
of Chiputnateccok, or Chibnitcook, as the same may be variously 
spelt, then up the. said stream so coming from the northward to its 
source, which is at a stake near a yellow birch tree hooped with iron, 
and marked S. T. and I. H. 1797* by Samuel Titcomb and John 
Harris, the surveyors employed to survey the above mentioned stream 
coroirg from the northward ; and the said river is designated on the 
map hereunto annexed, and hereby referred to as further descriptive 
of it by the letters A.B . C. D. E. F. G. H. I. F. and L. ; the letter 
i\. being at its said mouth, and the letter L. being at its said source : 
and the. course and distance of the said source from the island, at the 
confluence of the abovementioned two streams, is as laid down on the 
said map, north five degrees and about fifteen minutes, west by the 
magnet about forty-eight miles and one quarter. 

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, 
at Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, the twenty-fifth day of 
October, in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight. 

Thomas Barclay, (L. S.) 
David Howell, (L. S.) 
Egbert Benson, (L. S.) 

(Witness) Edward Winshw, 

Secretary to the Commissioners, 



THE END. 



T. DA VI RON, Whitefriars, 
Loncion. 



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